On the morning of October 19, the Department of Tourism and the Department of Culture and Sports of Binh Dinh province jointly held the seminar "Developing tourism products in ethnic minority and mountainous areas".

The seminar aimed at preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities in association with tourism development in Binh Dinh province.

Attending the seminar were representatives of relevant agencies and organizations, mountainous districts in Binh Dinh, the Binh Dinh Tourism Association, local travel firms and a number of OCOP product manufacturing establishments, homestay establishments in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the districts of An Lao , Hoai An, Vinh Thanh, Van Canh, and Tay Son.

At the seminar, the Department of Culture and Sports and the Department of Tourism of Binh Dinh and the authorities of An Lao, Hoai An, Tay Son, Vinh Thanh, and Van Canh districts discussed measures to well implement Project 6 on "Preserving and promoting traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development" under the National Target Program for socio-economic development of ethnic minority areas and mountainous areas of Binh Dinh province in the period of 2021 - 2030.

From 2021 to July 31, 2023, Binh Dinh attracted 17 tourism development projects with a total investment capital of about 49,747 billion VND.

Particularly, the province attracted 9 projects with a total investment capital of about 39,540 billion VND in 2021; 5 projects with a total investment capital of about 4,918 billion VND in 2022; 3 projects with a total investment capital of about 5,289 billion VND in the first half of 2023. However, the remote districts of An Lao, Vinh Thanh, Van Canh, Hoai An and Tay Son have not had any project.

At the seminar, attendants agreed that although the State's investment programs and projects have been enhanced, the implementation process still faces many difficulties and obstacles, not suitable to the actual needs at the grassroots level.

Therefore, it requires the involvement of agencies at all levels, timely adjustments to preserve and promote traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas in the province associated with tourism development. 

Representatives of departments, local officials, experts and researchers also exchanged and discussed the current status of preserving and promoting the cultural values of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development in Binh Dinh. They also made assessments on the potential for sustainable tourism development associated with preserving and promoting cultural values; suggested new tourism products, recommended mechanisms to promote the diversification of tourism products, with a focus on cultural tourism and community-based tourism.

Binh Dinh has three mountainous districts of An Lao, Vinh Thanh and Van Canh. In addition, Tay Son district and Hoai An district have three mountainous communes which are home to ethnic minorities. Phu Cat district has one mountainous commune with ethnic minorities.

There are a total of 33 mountainous communes and towns in Binh Dinh, that are home to 39 ethnic minorities totalling over 41,000 people, accounting for more than 2% of the province's population. The largest communities includue the Bana, Cham H'roi and H're ethnic groups who live in 33 communes and towns in 6 districts (An Lao, Vinh Thanh, Van Canh, Hoai An, Tay Son, Phu Cat).

Khanh Vy