Leveraging Advantages from Cultural Spaces

Van Phu Ward brings together many distinct cultural values of the Ancestral Land, most notably Xoan singing. Connecting original Xoan guilds with the system of historical sites, festivals, and traditional crafts in Van Phu not only builds destination appeal, but also expands the space for heritage to be practiced, transmitted, and promoted.

Teacher and students of Van Phu Primary School experiencing Xoan singing at Hung Lo Communal House.

One of Van Phu Ward’s prominent advantages following administrative boundary restructuring is that its territory now unites four original Xoan guilds: An Thai, Phu Duc, Kim Doi, and Thet. This provides favorable conditions to establish an interconnected Xoan singing experience space, replacing isolated performance spots. Along with a unique cultural space, the ward possesses experienced human resources for practicing and passing down heritage. The entire ward currently has 74 Xoan singing artisans, including 36 Meritorious Artisans and 6 People’s Artisans directly practicing, preserving, and teaching. Artisans do not merely perform for tourists; they teach, share stories, and help visitors gain a deeper understanding of the origins and value of Xoan singing. This is a valuable resource for building community-led tourism products.

When forms like devotional singing, multi-movement singing, and festive singing are set in connection with communal houses, temples, shrines, rituals, and traditional festivals, visitors can listen to singing, learn about rituals, interact with artisans, and directly participate in suitable hands-on activities. Xoan singing then evolves from a mere performance into a vivid cultural experience. This approach helps overcome the limitations of seasonal heritage exploitation. Instead of seeking out Xoan singing only during festival seasons, visitors can engage with heritage through multiple layers of experience — from listening to singing and learning rituals to interacting with artisans — thereby better appreciating the cultural space that has nurtured this heritage across generations.

Beyond Xoan singing, Van Phu Ward also owns a rich system of historical sites and festivals. The ward features 5 national-level historical sites, 7 provincial-level historical sites, and 7 traditional festivals held annually across residential areas, communal houses, temples, and shrines. Spaces such as Hung Lo Communal House, Van Luong Temple, Thet Communal House, and Trung Communal House are linked with Xoan singing activities, creating deep cultural tour routes. People’s Artisan Nguyen Thi Lich — Head of An Thai Xoan Guild — shared: “Every time I perform Xoan singing for tourists, I notice they love it and want to join in the performances, especially foreign tourists. In our programs, we always reserve a performance segment to interact with, guide, and perform alongside visitors. Xoan singing is once again brought closer to visitors from near and far. I am very proud that each Xoan guild now has 4–5 generations performing together, which is the clearest proof of success in preserving and promoting this heritage value.”

From communal houses, temples, shrines, and traditional markets to traditional crafts and folk cuisine, many living values in Van Phu become part of the tourism offering. Visitors can try making banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) and banh giay (round glutinous rice cake), learn about Hung Lo rice noodle making, enjoy local specialties, and access OCOP products. The ward currently has 9 products rated 3 to 5 stars. These products not only enhance economic value, but also help visitors better identify the local cultural characteristics and specialties. Thus, Xoan singing serves as the highlight; the system of historical sites acts as the space; festivals serve as the practice environment; traditional crafts and local specialties function as supporting products; and the community stands as the core living force behind the entire experience chain. This is a meaningful approach to heritage preservation and, more importantly, creates added space for culture to be practiced, transmitted, and spread — giving artisans the conditions to keep teaching, and helping younger generations understand, cherish, and take pride in their homeland’s heritage.

When Xoan singing is placed right in its original cultural space and connected with historical sites, festivals, and community life, Van Phu Ward forms a solid foundation to build a unique tourism product in the Ancestral Land, turning it into a spiritual foundation and resource for sustainable local development.

Hanh Thuy