The Hoa Lien Communal government, Hoa Vang District, Da Nang, has taken many effective solutions to preserve and promote the values ​​of local historical and cultural relics, contributing to enriching local spiritual life, and protecting local cultural and historical heritage.

The Van Duong Communal House located in Hoa Lien Commune, Hoa Vang District, will undergo renovations as soon as possible to make its conservation more effective. Photo: TUONG VUY

Highly effective conservation practices

Hoa Lien Commune is now home to two municipal-level cultural relics, namely Van Duong and Huong Phuoc communal houses. In addition, there are many sites designed for a journey back to the roots in the commune. Included are Trung Son Hill Forest, traditional communal house, martyrs’ cemetery, Bau Long Ba Dien victory monument, Tho Trai temple, and former Le My fort. Therefore, these venues have undergone restorations in efforts to preserve heritage, tradition and culture in the locality.

According to Mr. Do Thanh Tan, the Head of the Hoa Vang District Office of Culture and Information, the focus is on protecting historical and cultural artifacts that are stored and displayed at the relics in addition to providing annual fund worth VND 35 million for city-level relics and VND 100 million for national-level venues for their conservation work.

Huong Phuoc Communal House underwent restorations in 2013 with funding from the municipal government. This venue will get its first expansion in 2024 with the aim of offering new spaces for festivals and artifact displays.

Van Duong Communal House was recognized as city-level cultural relic in 2021 by the Da  Nang government  but full restoration is needed on this venue due to its severe degradation. Therefore, the Da Nang government has already approved to grant funds for full restoration on Van Duong Communal House in 2024.

At the same time, the communal authority has published the book titled " Historical and cultural relics in Hoa Lien" in order to preserve and promote local cultural heritage. In the coming time, the commune plans to continue establishing clubs where local people gather to sing folk songs, and perform Bai Choi (folk singing) which has been officially honoured as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), on the occasion of Tet holiday.

Artisan Nguyen Huu Mai, a member of the Management Board of the Huong Phuoc Communal House, said that local residents and the management board’s members are actively participating in the 'Green, Clean, and Beautiful Sunday' campaign to keep this site clean and preserve its beauty.

Whole-of-society involvement needed to preserve local cultural heritage

Mr. Phan Van Ke, the Head of the Management Board of Van Duong Communal House, remarked that Van Duong Communal House is an invaluable spiritual asset of the locality. It crystallizes work values and creativity of our forefathers while it is an ideal place for teaching good things for younger generations.

Mr Ke hoped for soon restoration on this cultural site with a bigger hope of developing Ho Khoan which is a genre of Vietnamese folk music, and rustic food offered at this venue on the occasion of Tet holiday into local tourism products in a bid to attract tourists to the commune, and the city as a whole. However, full social mobilization is needed to achieve this goal.

Hoa Lien Commune has yield positive results in the preservation and promotion of local historical and cultural heritage. However, the locality faces a funding shortage for organizing festivals and other cultural events. Therefore, there is a great need for the whole-of-society approach to local cultural heritage preservation, and financial donations are needed to make local cultural heritage sites boom.

Reporting by HUYNH TUONG VY – Translating by H.L