Yen Bai builds tourism brand from cultural heritage

Yen Bai is a land with a long history with many historical relics, tangible and intangible cultural heritages ranked nationally, along with the richness and diversity in colorful customs and practices of 30 ethnic groups. This rich potential is identified by Yen Bai province as an important resource for the province to position its image and build its tourism brand.

The whole province currently has 142 historical and cultural relics ranked at all levels; over 40 traditional festivals; 510 intangible cultural heritages of ethnic minorities, 1 scenic spot ranked as a special national monument, Mu Cang Chai terraced fields; 1 representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, Xoe Thai art recognized by UNESCO; 11 intangible cultural heritages included in the list of national intangible cultural heritages including: Cap sac ceremony of the Dao people (Van Yen district); Han Khuong of the Thai people (Nghia Lo town); New rice celebration ceremony of the Mong people (Mu Cang Chai district); Dong Cuong Temple Festival (Van Yen district); Khen Mong art and the art of using beeswax to create patterns on fabric of the Mong people (Mu Cang Chai, Tram Tau, Van Chan districts); Xoe Thai art (Nghia Lo town); Mu Cang Chai terraced fields have been voted as one of the 20 most colorful destinations in the world by CN Traveler Magazine…

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Proud of its huge, extremely rich, diverse and unique cultural heritage, in recent times, on the basis of promoting the unique cultural heritage values ​​of each type of heritage, the province has paid special attention to developing heritage tourism. From here, the number of domestic and international visitors has been constantly increasing. Tourists are excited to come to Yen Bai and learn about artistic activities, interact, experience culture, festivals, local lifestyle, enjoy cuisine, regional products...

Two days of experiencing the culture and life with the Thai people in Muong Lo, Nghia Lo town was a memorable time for the family of Mrs. Serouart - a French tourist. Choosing a homestay in Nghia An commune, her family was able to visit some local historical sites, explore and experience the culture and life of the Thai people, everyone was very impressed.

Ms. Serouart shared: "We were taken by the locals to visit some local cultural tourism products, then participated in experiencing daily activities, and in the evening we participated in the Thai Xoe dance. My family was very excited to know that "Thai Xoe Art" has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity."

As for Ms. Nguyen Thu Hien - a tourist from Hanoi, she was delighted to be able to integrate into the daily life and experience the traditional beeswax painting of the Mong people - a national intangible cultural heritage. She said: "I am very happy to learn about the traditional beeswax painting technique, to make a souvenir for myself from traditional Mong materials to bring back as a memorable memory."

Mu Cang Chai terraced fields are a colorful destination, attracting many tourists.

Ms. Ly Thi Ninh - Head of the Mong ethnic traditional brocade weaving cooperative, De Thang village, Che Cu Nha commune said: "When tourists come to Mu Cang Chai, we guide them to know and get familiar with the beeswax painting technique. This is a way for us to promote, introduce, and be proud of the unique cultural features of our ethnic traditional costumes as well as to have more income from the typical local tourism products".

It can be seen that the attractiveness of heritage has created a driving force for tourism development, bringing many benefits in terms of income, employment and local socio-economic development. The number of tourists to the province is increasing, staying longer. Accordingly, from 2022 to now, tourism growth has made significant breakthroughs, with an average growth rate of 40.1% over the years. In 2024, the number of tourists reached 2,272,200 (exceeding 33.7% of the plan; nearly 2.9 times higher than in 2021); international visitors reached 288,800 (reaching 96.2% of the plan, nearly 688 times higher than in 2021), revenue reached 1,922 billion VND (exceeding 28.1% of the plan, 3.9 times higher than in 2021).

In the first quarter of 2025 alone, the total number of visitors served is estimated at 406,034, a significant increase of 31.37% over the same period last year. In particular, the growth rate of accommodation establishments in recent years in Yen Bai province has always been at the top in the Northwest region, especially the homestay system. This province has a fast tourism growth rate and is a new market with diverse products.

Reality proves that cultural heritage creates attractiveness for tourist destinations. Heritage tourism not only creates income and jobs, but also creates motivation and resources to preserve and promote heritage values; at the same time, actively supports improving the quality of life, enhancing understanding and creating a basis for forming appropriate codes of conduct between people, tourists and heritage, contributing to widely promoting and maintaining the everlasting vitality of heritage.

To achieve the "dual goal" of both developing tourism and preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage, Yen Bai province will continue to promote the conservation, restoration and promotion of the cultural values ​​of historical relics and cultural works; develop traditional craft villages combined with tourism; strengthen training and improve the quality of tour guides and interpreters. At the same time, diversify forms of tourism promotion through the media, organize programs to introduce local cultural heritage to domestic and foreign tourists...

Thanh Chi

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/226/348907/Yen-Bai-xay-dung-thuong-hieu-du-lich-tu-di-san-van-hoa.aspx