(TITC) – Then is a popular form of religious practice in the villages of the Tay and Nung ethnic people in Lang Son and the northern mountainous provinces. At Quynh Son Community Tourism Village, Bac Quynh Commune, Bac Son District, ethnic people offer visitors experiences about indigenous culture such as cuisine, singing and playing Then and Tinh instruments.

In December 2019, the Then practice of the Tay – Nung – Thai ethnic groups was recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Lang Son is one of the provinces holding a typical Then practice cultural heritage. Since being honored, the Then practice heritage has been preserved and promoted in the right direction.

The Tay and Nung ethnic people in Lang Son are an ancient cultural practice that has been passed down to this day. This is a system of rituals for descendants to report to their ancestors and gods, to thank the local god, the tutelary god, and the god of agriculture for blessing them with a favorable business season; at the same time, this is also a sacred time for families and clans to pray for blessings, fortune, and longevity… This is a cultural tourism product imbued with local identity, contributing to the effective implementation of Project 6 on “Preserving and promoting the fine traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities associated with tourism development”.

Then is a valuable treasure of the nation’s traditional cultural heritage, an important source of information for research on the historical traditions, culture, and customs of the Tay and Nung ethnic people in Lang Son. The songs used in Then rituals help researchers gain more folk cultural knowledge about the material and spiritual life of the Tay and Nung ethnic people in Lang Son.

In Lang Son in general, and Bac Son and Van Lang districts in particular, the types of performances such as Then singing, Tinh lute, Phong Slu singing, Quan lang singing, Luon, Sli, Slinh lang singing, Chau then dancing, Vi singing, Pao Dung singing… are cultural heritages deeply attached to the lives of the Tay, Nung, and Dao ethnic communities in Lang Son, demonstrating creative thinking and ingenuity and sophistication in the use of musical instruments and performing arts, creating a colourful cultural picture of the land and people of Lang Son.

Bac Son district, Lang Son province is a place with unique historical and cultural traditions and many unique characteristics. That characteristic is reflected in the traditional culture of ethnic groups in the district. In the current trend of tourism development, the Tay people in Bac Quynh commune have participated in tourism activities. With the advantage of landscape and cultural tradition, the tourist destination of the Tay people in Quynh Son community tourism village is currently one of the highlights chosen by tourists when coming to Bac Son. Because it was formed in the Then Bac Son region, the Then heritage has been put into tourism activities by the Tay people in Quynh Son.

Quynh Son Community Tourism Village is coming to the village of the Tay ethnic group with many stilt houses built based on the traditional stilt house architecture made of wood, spacious and airy space, in harmony with the landscape of mountains, forests and fields. The special thing about Quynh Son village is that it has many stilt houses with uniform architecture, roofed with yin-yang tiles, leaning against the limestone mountains, and the front facing the same direction.

And indispensable in the experiences at Quynh Son Cultural Tourism Village are the Then singing and Tinh Flute melodies. The art troupe serving tourists was established on the basis of the Quynh Son art troupe of Bac Quynh commune, with the purpose of serving tourists, preserving and developing traditional cultural values ​​in the locality such as Then singing, folk dances, Chau dances, etc.

In particular, in addition to its unique cultural identities, Bac Quynh also attracts tourists with its rich and unique cuisine with dishes imbued with the flavors of the mountains and forests but very distinctive such as black chung cake, grilled meat made of bamboo tubes, etc. To stimulate tourism and experience local culture, Bac Quynh commune is creating culinary cultural tourism values, building a diverse culinary map. At the same time, promoting the rich local cuisine, making tourism a strategic product to attract domestic and foreign tourists to the locality.

Tourism Information Technology Center