Dao Tien culture flourishes with community tourism in Sung village

Nestled in the heart of Bieu Mountain (Cao Son Commune, Phu Tho Province), Sung Village of the Dao Tien people has long been considered a "living museum" in the middle of the jungle. Not only does it possess a hundred-year-old Shan Tuyet tea forest, it also preserves intact a unique cultural treasure such as: writing, costumes, customs, ground-floor house architecture, traditional handmade brocade weaving...

Ban Sung is striving to become a bright spot for community tourism , where visitors not only come to visit but also to experience, understand and accompany the Dao Tien community in the journey of preserving and developing cultural identity.

Village in the middle of the jungle and unique cultural features

At an altitude of more than 500m above sea level, the climate is cool all year round due to the high mountain terrain and old forests. Ban Sung (Cao Son commune, Phu Tho province) is the living space of the Dao Tien community with 73 ground-floor wooden houses, roofed with palm leaves, on the porch are ancient chò and dracontomelon trees hundreds of years old, creating a space that is both pristine and quiet.

The unique highlight of the village is the ancient Shan Tuyet tea forest on Bieu mountain. The large tea trees with rough trunks take root deep in the ground, spreading shade through many generations. The people of Sung village consider this a treasure from heaven. They carefully harvest and manually roast the tea to create the finest tea, with golden water and a sweet aftertaste.

For the Dao Tien people in Sung village, Shan Tuyet tea is not only a plant for drinking but also the pride of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

Not only the landscape, Sung village is also especially attractive because of its cultural values that are preserved intact.

On the first and fifteenth day of every month, the Nom Dao script class taught by the village's Shamans is still open regularly. Children, young people, and even the elderly learn together the script and ethnic customs such as: the Cap Sac ceremony (a coming-of-age ceremony for men), the vegetarian funeral ceremony, the Tet Nhay festival (an important ritual reflecting religious life)... as a way to maintain the connection with ancestors and preserve the culture.

For international tourists, participating in rituals and experiencing writing classes at Sung village is a rare experience, being able to directly see, listen and try writing ancient Nom Dao script.

“I was really impressed when I joined the Dao writing class and was guided by the teacher to write ancient characters. This is an experience I have never had anywhere else,” said Marissa, a Canadian tourist.

Many traditional crafts in Sung village have also been restored such as brocade weaving, making do paper, herbal medicine... In particular, Dao Tien women with their skillful hands have turned each fabric thread and each beeswax stroke into sophisticated patterns.

“A traditional costume can take months to complete. Each stitch and each pattern conveys the nation’s spirit,” said Ly Thi Hang.

Products of the Dao Tien brocade cooperative in Sung village. (Photo: Trong Dat-VNA)

The cuisine here is also rich in identity. From Man pigs raised on the hills, local chickens, Da River fish to wild vegetables, all are presented on a round tray made of wild banana leaves, symbolizing the connection with the mountains and forests. The sour meat, a specialty of the Dao Tien people, must be fermented for 18 months to achieve the standard flavor, making any diner who has tasted it linger forever.

According to Ms. Ly Thi Nhat (owner of Ban Sung farmstay), since doing tourism, people's thinking has changed significantly, people in the village are more open, and awareness of preserving traditional culture has also increased. Households doing homestays and brocade weaving have all made efforts to improve service quality, creating both familiar and unique experiences for tourists.

Towards sustainable tourism development

Up to now, Ban Sung still retains the original values of community living space and simple people's lives. In recent years, many non -governmental projects have accompanied the people of Ban Sung, supporting the development of traditional occupations, training tourism skills, providing internet coverage, improving roads, building homestays, etc.

People rarely use television. Instead, they spend time with tourists making campfires, singing and dancing, enjoying Shan Tuyet tea, and sharing stories about the old forest and the long-standing cultural values of the Dao Tien people.

Ms. Bui Thanh Ngoc (Phu Tho) shared: She really likes the natural landscape and the quietness, especially likes to learn about the cultural identity of ethnic minorities in Sung village. This is a place worth visiting to experience. However, the village also faces challenges when the traditional occupation of the Dao Tien people is at risk of disappearing if the younger generation is indifferent and under pressure from commercialized tourism.

To preserve the cultural values here, in January 2023, the Dao Tien Brocade Cooperative in Sung village was established. Handmade brocade products quickly became unique goods, attracting tourists. Experiential services such as fabric dyeing, weaving, and homestay accommodation gradually turned Sung village into a unique cultural tourist destination.

Currently, the whole village has more than 50 households participating in homestay services, brocade weaving, folk art performances, tour guides... creating a stable source of income. Tourists can immerse themselves in the space of the palm-roofed stilt houses, enjoy ethnic cuisine, experience brocade weaving, herbal baths or participate in Dao writing classes...

For tourism to develop sustainably, it requires synchronous participation, from the government in planning orientation and capital support; to the initiative of the people in preserving and creating cultural products and the responsible accompaniment of tourists.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Cao Son Commune, Bui Thi Hoa Binh, affirmed that preserving and promoting cultural identity is the guiding principle in developing community tourism. The commune government also aims to develop Sung village into a typical destination of the commune. At the same time, the locality will have policies to support people to restore and develop the traditional cultural values of the Dao Tien people in a sustainable manner.

Ban Sung today is a harmony between the past and the present, where Dao script is rewritten on Do paper, where the sound of the loom blends with Dao Tien dance, where Shan Tuyet tea buds tell the story of the green forest.

Visitors come here not only to visit and relax, but also to immerse themselves in a vibrant cultural space, so that when they leave, each person carries with them a sense of appreciation and a desire to return.

Preserving identity to develop tourism as well as developing tourism to nurture identity is the goal that the Cao Son commune government of Phu Tho province together with the Dao Tien community in Sung village are aiming to build for today and tomorrow./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/van-hoa-dao-tien-thang-hoa-cung-du-lich-cong-dong-ban-sung-post1063925.vnp