Better roads have done more than improve transport in Quang Ninh's remote Dao villages - they have helped spark a shift from dependence on state support to self-reliance, entrepreneurship and community-led development.

Embroidery frames, village meetings and newly built roads tell the story of how the Dao people are safeguarding tradition while shaping the future.

Traditional embroidery, folk songs and community tourism are helping the Dao people transform cultural heritage into a living part of modern life.

Compared with the time when farming brought in less than VND2 million a month (US$80), a young Dao woman and her family now earn five to seven times more by developing tourism and inviting foreign visitors to experience village life as locals do.

For decades, Phung Quang Du has collected, studied and taught Dao Nom script, preserving the soul of his people amid modern change.

From mid lunar December, Dao communities in Quang Ninh begin Tet (Lunar New Year) early, honoring ancestors and renewing clan bonds in a quiet yet deeply meaningful celebration.

Each year-end, Dao families reunite to prepare Tet Nam Cung - an ancestral feast that reflects their deep cultural roots and communal values.

At just 24 years old, Trieu Phan The Phuong - an ethnic Dao student and graduate of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy - has already lived through the highs and lows of the medical profession.

The traditional craft of making herbal medicine has long been an integral part of the lifestyle of the Dao ethnic people in Ba Vi (Hanoi).

For generations, traditional herbal medicine has been an inseparable part of the Dao people’s life in Ba Vi, Hanoi. In today’s digital era, those who preserve the craft face a growing fear of online impersonation and counterfeit products.

Rooted in ritual and daily life, this singing tradition conveys the values and dreams of the Dao community.