(VOVworld)- The tourism and culture village of Vietnamese ethnic minority groups in Dong Mo on the outskirts of Hanoi is the place where typical values of 54 ethnic minority groups of Vietnam are recreated. Since its operation began in 2010, the village has become an attractive destination for tourists.

Recreation of Rong house in the culture village

Over the past 5 years, the village has attracted more than 900,000 visitors and researchers. It has organized several recreational activities including cow racing of the Bay Nui (Seven Mountain) region of southern An Giang province, the Khau Vai love market of northern Ha Giang province, the Ok Om Bok festival, a southern floating market and northern mountain market sessions. These activities have inspired thousands of visitors. Nguyen Van Tuan is a visitor from Quang Ninh province: “The village is a useful playground for people who are interested in Vietnamese culture. I find the village very beautiful. The complex of the Khmer ethnic minority people is especially magnificent”.

Visitors to the culture village will have chances to experience interesting activities. They can attend festivals and learn about traditional customs of different ethnic groups such as the prayer ceremonies for peace and favourable weathers of the Lo Lo ethnic group of Ha Giang, the rice worshipping ceremony of the Brau group in Kon Tum, the horse races of the Mong group of Bac Ha, and the new crop celebration of the San Chay group of Phu Tho. All of them are realistically recreated in the village. Lam Van Khang, Deputy Director of the Management Board of the culture village:“The tourism and culture village of Vietnamese ethnic minority groups enjoys several advantages. It is only 40 km from Hanoi, about 30 minutes by car. It covers an area of more than 1,500 ha, of which 900 ha is lake and the rest is forests and mountain. The landscape here is beautiful and romantic. The village is just one of the many tourist destinations west of Hanoi”.

Sac bua festival recreated in the culture village

With a favourable location and a strategy for exploiting the cultural values of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam, the culture village has strengthened its position in the tourism sector. Director of the Lao Cai Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Huu Son said:“We need to have a mechanism that ensures people’s interest in participating in our tourist and cultural events. We need to socialize these events and call for sponsorships. In organizing activities such as cow racing or horse racing, we might need to sell tickets in order to have money for other events”.

Luu Nhan Vinh is General Director of the Vietnam Tourism Joint Stock Company: “In addition to major events that have been held, the culture village needs to cooperate with travel companies to develop tourist products. In the culture village, one independent department should be in charge of organizing events, conferences and seminars and providing essential information for travel companies to include in their tour programs. Travel companies will serve as a bridge introducing tourists to the village’s products”.

The culture village today is a popular destination for recreation, sports and cultural activities and continues to promote the cultural values of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities.