Shaping signature identity from OCOP products and local cultural values

When coming to Tay Yen Tu commune, visitors will be impressed by its various traditional handicrafts and agricultural products developed by ethnic minority people.

The delegates visit the exhibition booth showcasing distinctive OCOP products of Tay Yen Tu commune.

The products like forest honey, herbal plants, ironwood lingzhi mushroom, bamboo shoot and leave-yeasted wine not only yield high economic values but also reflect the unique essence of local culture.

To date, the locality has developed four 3-star OCOP products, a significant foundation for community-based tourism development attached to heightening values of agricultural products.

Tay Yen Tu is located on “the dharma-spreading route of the Truc Lam Yen Tu Zen sect" with a relic system including Ha pagoda, Thuong pagoda and Ngoa Van temple.

The operation of the cable car system and Buddhism spreading routes has facilitated development of spiritual tourism in line with experiential and leisure activities.

Besides, Tay Yen Tu Spring Festival taking place annually attracts hundred thousand of tourists. Several traditional rituals such as the maturity ritual of Dao ethnic group and folk songs have been preserved and exploited as local signature tourism products.

According to Trieu Thi Hoa, Director of Dao Ethnic Group’s Community-based Tourism Cooperative in Mau village, the cooperative is providing traditional Vietnamese herbal bath service and supported with some infrastructure items.

However, the cooperative has not widened the accommodation, product exhibition area and herbal processing place nor organized traditional embroidery craft workshop due to financial shortage.

They expect to access preferential loan resources to expand the scale and meet tourists’ increasing demand.

Removing bottleneck for sustainable tourism development

Traditional embroidery craft of Dao ethnic community in Tay Yen Tu commune is potential for developing experience tourism.

Embracing a sustainable development vision especially when the Yen Tu-Vinh Nghiem- Con Son, Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex was recognised by UNESCO as the world cultural heritage, Tay Yen Tu is poised for a strong breakthrough, positioning itself as a province’s distinctive cultural and eco-tourism highlight while fostering dynamic tourism connections with Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong city.

In order to realize the target “turning heritages into assets”, local government has implemented a number of measures.

It concentrates on completing the master plan for Tay Yen Tu tourism development until 2030, a vision to 2045, investing in upgrading traffic infrastructure connecting tourism destinations within and beyond the locality and developing reception centers, service areas, exhibition house and qualified tourism products, according to Nguyen Xuan Thang, Chairman of the people’s committee of Tay Yen Tu commune.

In addition, the commune pays due attention to preserving and promoting cultural heritages and effectively implementing the “Buddhism-spreading route” associated with the heritage system of Tay Yen Tu- Vinh Nghiem- Son Son, Kiep Bac.

Traditional festivals and folk cultural activities of ethnic minority groups will be continued while developing spiritual tourism products in line with experiencing local culture.

This locality is also building supporting and incentive policies to attract investment in community-based tourism cooperatives attached to OCOP products and focusing on training tourism service skills to local people especially the youth and women.

Besides, it pays special attention to establishing the brand identity system of Tay Yen Tu tourism and boost promotional activities on digital platforms.

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