Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) Relying on its complete pagoda and temple complex, rich traditional festivals, distinctive handicraft villages, and diverse tangible and intangible cultural heritage, Khanh Hoa province in Vietnam has systematically protected and preserved its Cham culture, deeply integrating cultural tourism development with community livelihoods, allowing this ancient civilization to radiate new vitality in contemporary life.
I. Profound Heritage: Abundant Tangible and Intangible Heritage
Khanh Hoa province boasts a diverse and comprehensive Cham cultural heritage. In terms of tangible cultural heritage, the Hoa Lai Pagoda complex, Pô Klong Garai Pagoda, and Pô Nagar Pagoda are listed as national or national-level special artistic architectural relics, while Pô Rômê Pagoda is a national-level historical architectural relic. Among them, the Pô Klong Garai Pagoda, built between the late 13th and early 14th centuries, is a well-preserved core activity site of Cham Brahmanism. The annual Carter Festival held in the seventh month of the lunar calendar attracts a large number of people and tourists, becoming an important carrier of cultural transmission. The intangible cultural heritage sector boasts numerous highlights: the Bo Na Ga Ta Festival, the Kat Festival, and the Cham New Year ceremony in Bing Nghi Village, Ninh Hai Commune, have been inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list; the Cham pottery-making techniques of Bàu Trúc Village have been listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage in urgent need of protection. Furthermore, traditional handicraft villages such as Bàu Trúc Pottery Village and Měi Nhué Brocade Village continue to uphold traditional techniques, becoming core destinations for tourists seeking an immersive Cham cultural experience.
II. Multi-dimensional Protection Efforts: Practical Measures for Cultural Heritage Preservation
In recent years, Khanh Hoa Province, in conjunction with the former Ninh Thuan Province, has continuously strengthened the protection and promotion of Cham culture, advancing preservation through various measures such as repairing towers and ancestral halls, restoring traditional festivals and folk arts, and establishing professional research platforms. Among these, the Second Branch of the Khanh Hoa Provincial Museum, as the only specialized research institution for Cham culture in the country, has collected and restored over 1,500 artifacts, collected over 1,400 related materials, and regularly holds special exhibitions, providing academic support for cultural preservation. Nguyen Long Bien, Vice Chairman of the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, stated that the province has consistently adhered to the principle of promoting economic and social development in tandem with heritage protection. Through methods such as artifact restoration, cultural tourism product development, and the application of digital technology, the Cham community directly benefits from cultural preservation, achieving a virtuous cycle of "protection – benefit – further protection."
III. Planning Guides the Future: A Blueprint for Sustainable Development
To further activate the value of Cham culture, Khanh Hoa Province has set a development goal for 2030: to deeply integrate Cham heritage with cultural and historical tourism, pursuing a path of sustainable development. Currently, the Provincial People's Committee has officially approved the "Management, Protection, and Value Promotion Plan for the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Cham Pottery Making (2025-2028 and Subsequent Phases)," which will be implemented in Bao Zhu Pottery Village, with a total investment exceeding 205 billion VND. The core objectives of the plan are clear: by 2026, to elevate the Cham pottery-making technique from a state of "urgent need for protection," gradually build a distinctive "Cham Pottery" brand, and simultaneously develop community tourism, enabling this intangible cultural heritage project to achieve a win-win situation of cultural and economic value through living transmission, and promoting the continuous dissemination and development of Cham culture. (End)
