Sustaining Emulation Movements in Culture, Sports, and Tourism

On the morning of January 28, Emulation Cluster No. 3 of the Culture, Sports, and Tourism (CST) sector held a conference to review the “Patriotic Emulation” movement for 2025. The event was co-chaired by Mr. Duong Hoang Huong – Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Phu Tho Department of CST (Cluster Chair), along with leaders from the Departments of CST of Lao Cai and Thai Nguyen provinces.

Leaders of the Departments of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Phu Tho, Lao Cai, and Thai Nguyen provinces co-chairing the conference.

Emulation Cluster No. 3 consists of the Departments of CST of Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen, and Lao Cai provinces. In 2025, with proactive and flexible regulations and action plans, the cluster’s emulation movements achieved highly positive results. The localities successfully organized numerous large-scale cultural events and festivals with wide influence, notably: The Hung Kings' Temple Festival and Ancestral Land Culture-Tourism Week 2025 (Phu Tho); the festival “Thai Nguyen - The Scent and Beauty of Tea”; the Red River Festival - Lao Cai 2025, and the 1st Lao Cai International Tourism Fair.

Cultural heritage preservation received significant attention, with many tangible and intangible heritages being documented for national and international recognition, reaffirming the cultural identity of ethnic groups in the Northern Midlands and Mountains.

The sports sector also saw remarkable progress. Mass sports movements flourished, while high-performance sports continued to assert their dominance on national and international stages. Athletes from the cluster earned thousands of medals, with many achieving outstanding results at the SEA Games as well as continental and world championships.

Tourism activities witnessed an impressive recovery and growth. In 2025, the total number of visitors to the three provinces reached tens of millions. Tourism revenue surged, with Lao Cai reaching over 46.5 trillion VND, Phu Tho approximately 14.8 trillion VND, and Thai Nguyen over 7.4 trillion VND. Regional linkages and the development of new products have helped tourism become a vital economic sector for these localities.

Additionally, media, press, and publishing activities were strictly managed, with positive news content accounting for over 97%. This contributed to spreading beautiful images of the culture, people, and development potential of the provinces. Administrative reform and commendation work were implemented seriously, timely honoring exemplary collectives and individuals.

At the conference, the units unanimously nominated the Phu Tho Department of CST to receive the Emulation Flag from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism for 2025. The Departments of CST of Thai Nguyen and Lao Cai were nominated for Certificates of Merit from the Ministry. For 2026, the Thai Nguyen Department of CST will serve as the Cluster Chair, with the Lao Cai Department of CST as the Vice Chair.

Le Minh