Culture and Human Capital as the Engines for Sustainable Development

In recent years, the party committees and local administrations of the province have continuously prioritized leading the development of an advanced culture deeply imbued with national identity, strictly aligned with building the national value system and the cultural value framework of the new era. Navigating the strategic 2026 administrative border consolidation which brings interwoven opportunities and challenges, the province has promptly enacted the Master Plan on Culture and Human Capital Development for the 2026-2030 period, with a vision to 2045. This strategic decision aims to position culture and human capital as the definitive foundation, endogenous strength, and core engine for socio-economic expansion and proactive international integration.

Xoan singing in the ancient village of Hung Lo, Van Phu Ward is effectively preserved and promoted in close alignment with sustainable tourism growth.

The Pride of the Ancestral Land

Phu Tho is the ancestral homeland of the Vietnamese nation—a sacred land where the spiritual essence of the country’s rivers and mountains converges, and the birthplace of the origins and founding traditions of the Vietnamese people.

Following the merger of the three localities of Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, and Hoa Binh, the culture and people of the province have become a symbolic synthesis of three major cultural streams, each rich in unique identity and heritage.

The first is the cultural stream of Phu Tho, the cradle of the Vietnamese nation, distinguished by the Worship of the Hung Kings and Xoan Singing, both recognized by UNESCO as Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. These invaluable cultural treasures serve as the spiritual axis connecting the entire region.

The second is Vinh Phuc, a land often described as “Coming to Buddha, Returning to the Mother Goddess,” home to hundreds of traditional festivals and renowned craft villages. Its notable cultural landmarks include Binh Son Tower and the Dong Dau Archaeological Site.

The third is Hoa Binh, which preserves the vibrant intangible heritage of the renowned Hoa Binh Culture. Its cultural identity is reflected in the resonant sounds of bronze gongs, traditional stilt houses, ancient festivals, and the celebrated epic The Birth of the Earth and the Birth of Water.

This unique spatial nexus has forged the character of the Ancestral Land’s populace, defined by prominent traits: patriotism, solidarity, self-reliance, continuous innovation, and profound compassion. Born and raised in Hy Cuong Commune, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nghia emotionally shared: "The identity of our people stems from the special historical status of the Hung Vuong Ancestral Land. The tradition of “when drinking water, remember its source” and ancestral reverence has not only been preserved for thousands of years, but today blends seamlessly with a spirit of patriotism and self-reliance in the daily mindset and lifestyle of every citizen."

The voices of the local residents stand as a living testament to the milestones achieved during the 2020-2025 tenure. Under the strict guidance of the party committees and local councils, the comprehensive development of human capital regarding character, ethics, capacity, and physical health has reaped outstanding results. The quality of both general and elite education has continuously maintained its position among the top tiers nationwide, with national-standard school coverage reaching 84.2%. Social security nets are firmly secured, driving the provincial poverty rate down to a record low of 2.75% by the end of 2025, while the average per capita income surged by 37% compared to 2020.

Furthermore, heritage preservation has yielded monumental achievements. By the end of 2025, the unified province boasted 980 ranked historical sites, including 6 Special National Relics and 5 UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritages. The Hung Kings' Temple Festival (Gio To Hung Vuong) continues to assert its role as the exemplary model festival of the country, embodying civilization and solemnity while operating as the spiritual thread binding the great national solidarity block. Concurrently, cultural institutions have received aggressive public funding, with 99.3% of residential areas equipped with modern cultural houses, guaranteeing a rich spiritual space for the populace.

Identifying Challenges, Creating Breakthroughs in the New Era

Despite these milestones, the reality of the province following the mega-merger dictates that cultural and human capital matters must be processed synchronously to forge absolute unity and sustainable growth. According to Mr. Duong Hoang Huong, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, linking heritage preservation with tourism development has yielded highly positive rewards, cementing culture as a critical endogenous asset. However, under the contemporary demands of digital transformation, globalization, and the creative economy, the core equation is how to effectively transform cultural assets into highly competitive tourism products while safeguarding long-term sustainability.

Crucially, the birth of the newly consolidated province demands the immediate establishment of a new cultural and human development model. This model must align with an expanded geographic space, rich natural resources, and an increasingly diversified socio-economic landscape as the country enters a new era. To proactively tackle these challenges, on May 21, 2026, the Provincial People’s Committee officially issued Decision No. 1615/QD-UBND, approving the Master Plan on Culture and Human Capital Development for the 2026-2030 Period, with a Vision to 2045. This is a game-changing policy, confirming the strategic foresight of the local leadership.

To materialize its developmental ambitions, the Master Plan establishes its core goal: developing an advanced culture deeply rooted in national identity, striving to elevate the province into the absolute cultural epicenter regarding the ancestral origins of the Vietnamese nation. Parallel to this is the cultivation of comprehensive human capital embodying patriotism, solidarity, self-reliance, innovation, and compassion.

To realize its development aspirations, the Project identifies a core objective of developing an advanced culture in Phu Tho that is deeply rooted in national identity, with the goal of establishing the province as the cultural center of the ancestral homeland of the Vietnamese nation.

At the same time, the Project aims to build a comprehensively developed Phu Tho citizenry embodying the province’s distinctive values: patriotism, solidarity, self-reliance, innovation, creativity, and compassion.

By 2030, Phu Tho Province targets a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.78 and a Vietnam Development and Happiness Index (VDHI) of at least 85 points.

Looking ahead to 2045, the province envisions a society in which people are comprehensively developed, enjoy a high quality of life, and experience lasting happiness. Phu Tho will possess a culturally rich and diverse heritage that develops in a modern direction while preserving the unique identity of the ancestral homeland. This cultural foundation will serve as a strong spiritual pillar and a key driver of sustainable development.

By that time, the province’s Human Development Index, Development and Happiness Index, social security system, and social welfare standards are expected to rank among the leading localities nationwide.

To translate these targets into reality, the Master Plan outlines pivotal action items backed by a binding, aggressive commitment of public funding. The provincial administration is determined to allocate a minimum of 2% of the total annual state budget expenditure exclusively for the cultural sector. Regarding infrastructure, priority will be given to building monumental cultural works of national stature to serve as new modern icons of development.

The ancestral festival and cultural zones will be heavily expanded around the Hung Kings' Temple Historical Relic Site and its vicinity to form a world-class Festival Center of National Origins. Embracing the global technology wave, the plan places immense focus on digital transformation, pledging to complete the 100% digitization of all national intangible cultural heritages, while successfully protecting and accelerating the enlistment of Mo Muong heritage into UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

The Party’s resolution has paved the way, and the government’s Master Plan has sharply defined the roadmap. Fueled by the highest political determination of the entire administration and a deep sense of ancestral pride within every citizen, the mission of building the culture and human capital of the province will undoubtedly fulfill its grand expectations, engineering an ironclad spiritual foundation for the Ancestral Land to confidently step into the new era.

Huong Lan