During the summer season, domestic and foreign tourists flock to Da Nang to have fun at the beach, relax, or participate in exciting entertainment activities and sports competitions, and so on. However, the city’s tourism industry is almost frozen in the remaining seasons of the year. Therefore, is it necessary for the city to diversify its tourism forms with a focus on promoting the development of cultural tourism as this form of tourism determines tourism activities where the primary motivation of tourists is learning, discovering, experiencing, and consuming tangible and intangible cultural products, services, and attractions of tourism destinations. Cultural tourism allows the tourist to participate in local cultural activities, like festivals and rituals despite challenging weather conditions.

Hai Van Pass is one of the most visited cultural travel destinations of Central Viet Nam. Photo: S.T

Da Nang’s cultural tourism is almost as diverse as its culture. In particular, the Marble Mountains special national relic site is the most important cultural asset of the city. Ngu Hanh Son District is now home to 4 national heritage sites and UNESCO world heritage sites. They are ‘ma nhai’, inscriptions on rocks, which was registered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a documentary heritage under the UNESCO Memory of the World for the Asia-Pacific Region Programme on November 26, 2022,  the Non Nuoc Stone Carving Village which was recognized as the national intangible cultural heritage in 2014, the Marble Mountains tourist site which was recognized as a special national relic in 2018, and the Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) Festival which was recognized as the National Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2021.

The annual Quan The Am Festival is organized in a methodical and thoughtful way, thereby attracting a large number of the Buddhists and non-Buddhists from other parts of the country and all over the world. It is commendable that the local authorities have made great efforts to ensure a safe and healthy environment for locals and tourists, as well as promote civilized behaviors among them during the festival.

The festival provides an opportunity for the Buddhist followers around the county, and Vietnamese people as a whole, to pray for peace and prosperity in our nation. The event is also expected to arouse goodwill, wellbeing and kindness within our community, as well as show harmony to better take care of people's well-being and happiness, and show the love for the motherland.

Furthermore, the annual Cau Ngu (fish-worshipping ) Festival is elaborately organized with a wide range of exciting events across coastal fishing villages of the city in efforts to promote the value of this special festival which has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage, to domestic and international tourists.

Moreover, Communal House Festival, which annually takes place on the 10^th day of the third lunar month to celebrate the dead anniversary of the Hung Kings is held in such places as Hai Chau, Tuy Loan, and Hoa My. The festival is annual large-scale event that attracts a large number of local people and tourists. It aims to keep important cultural events which are part of the spiritual life of local people, as well as promote and preserve local cultural identity, satisfy the cultural and spiritual needs of local communities. In addition, the intention is to educate young people about being grateful and expressing gratitude towards their ancestors, thereby contributing to promoting culture and tourism of Da Nang, in an attempt to attract more tourists to the city..

The Muc Dong Festival was held regularly until 1936, in the reign of Emperor Bao Dai.  Then, after a 70-year absence, it was revived in 2007 in Phong Nam Village, Hoa Vang District, and it was last held on 29 and 30 March 2013.

The festival’s cultural vestiges, including the Dong hamlet and the Muc Dong temple, play a vital role in the spiritual life of local residents.  The event honours the children who tend the water buffalos, and it is one of the city’s most important festivals. When the city creates a strategy to promote the development of cultural tourism, it is necessary for it to adopt effective policies and solutions to preserve, restore and promote these festivals to become a product contributing to cultural development.

The Hai Van Quan (Hai Van Gate), a complex of brick-built gates dating from the Tran Dynasty, nestles at the top of its namesake mountain pass located at the geographical boundary between Da Nang and Thua Thien-Hue Province. On November 19, 2021, the authorities of Da Nang and Thua Thien-Hue Province jointly began a project on the restoration and preservation of the Hai Van Quan.

Under the project, the original vestiges of the Nguyen Dynasty under the reign of Emperor Minh Mang in 1826 are restored. Damaged stone gates and brick walls are already replaced. Some bunkers during the resistance wars against French and American colonialists are kept for the purpose of connecting history between the wars.

The Hai Van Quan, which is known as 'Thien ha de nhat hung quan' (The World’s most marvelous wonder), was built in 1826 under the rule of the Nguyen dynasty’s King Minh Mang (1791-1841), who ordered the construction of multiple defensive structures on Hai Van Pass to protect the then imperial capital of Viet Nam in Hue. The structures included fortifications, store houses and cannon forts.

After more than one year of restoration and maintenance, the Hai Van Quan national relic site has been named among top destinations of cultural tourism in Central Viet Nam, and Viet Nam as a whole. The Hai Van Quan, which literally means ‘cloud sea’, refers to the mists that frequently rise from the ocean. Therefore, the scenic spot is known as an ideal spot for ‘hunting clouds’ as white clouds cover the top of the pass all year round. When reaching the peak of the pass, tourists can visit the Hai Van Quan, as well as admire the magnificent scenery of nature with wild green mountains, Lang Co Bay, and white clouds.

Not only being well-known for its amazing tourist attractions, Da Nang is also now home to many museums which are famous for their great historical and cultural values, and their unique architectural styles. The municipal administration has till date spent a combined total of more than 500 billion VND for the Dien Hai Citadel restoration and embellishment project. The 2^nd stage of the project focuses on relocating the existing Museum of Da Nang out of the Dien Hai Citadel site to the former headquarters of the municipal People’s Committee on 42 Bach Dang Street. This stage of the project also prioritizes preserving the components and traces constituting the original relic as much as possible, and recreating part of the landscape space and original architectural components in the inner city, thereby contributing to honouring and promoting the historical value of the Dien Hai Citadel. Apart from the Hue Imperial Citadel, the Dien Hai Citadel is the only ancient military relic left in Central Viet Nam associated with an important historical story of the army and people of Quang Nam - Da Nang in struggle against the French - Spanish coalition forces in 1858 - 1860. Therefore, the Dien Hai Citadel has become one of the city’s cultural and historical highlights. Once operational in 2024, the Dien Hai Citadel is expected to become a new attraction in Da Nang for both locals and tourists.

The Museum of Cham Sculpture has a history of more than 100 years since it was first established in 1915. It is located at 2 September 2 Street, Binh Hien Ward, Hai Chau District. The museum has undergone several improvements and reorganizations but its original architecture remains unchanged. The museum has secured its position as one of best places in Da Nang to preserve and promote unique cultural heritage in Da Nang, and Viet Nam at large. It is now home to a collection of over 1,800 pieces of various-sized Cham sculpture. Of them, six artifacts have made it to the list of national treasures in Viet Nam.

The Da Nang People’s Council has already approved the investment policy for the construction of the branch of the Municipal Museum of Cham Sculpture located at a Cham relic site in Phong Le Village, Hoa Tho Dong Ward, Cam Le District. This not only brings good news to local residents but also brings great joy to those who love local culture and are interested in this 1,000-year-old relic. The city really needs an Open-Air Museum of Cham Sculpture to enrich its culture which has existed for thousands of years. Therefore, the Phong Le archaeological site is a "rare treasure" for the city’s historical culture.  A thousand-year-old relic found in the young city gives it the chance to encounter the sacred soul of the city in the past.

Da Nang is one of three Viet Nam localities that have their own museums of fine arts. Established on July 29, 2014, the Da Nang Fine Arts Museum under the municipal Department of Culture and Sports has played a vital role in preserving and promoting cultural heritage of Da Nang, and Central Viet Nam as a whole. After more than 2 years of establishment, on December 19, 2016, the museum officially opened its doors to the public.

Currently, the museum is home to more than 2,000 works of modern and contemporary arts, plus artifacts of traditional folk art. It is very inviting to artists and visual arts audiences at both home and abroad. The museum hosts art exhibitions every month.

There are two theaters operating in the city, namely the Trung Vuong Theatre and the (Classical Drama) Theatre. The Trung Vuong Theater was established in 2002 on the basis of merging the city's music and dance troupe and the Da Nang Performance Organization Company. After 21 years of establishment and development with the tireless efforts of generations of its artists, the theatre has affirmed its worthy position and vital role in artistic activities of the city, and the country as a whole.

The Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theater brought the ‘Vietnamese soul’ programme back to the public in October 2022 to serve locals and tourists after 2-year closure triggered by COVID-19. The ‘Vietnamese soul’ art programme of the Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theater aims to introduce traditional art forms of Viet Nam to visitors at home and abroad.  In addition, Tuong street (classical drama) performances imbued with the traditional cultural identity of Viet Nam and the Quang Nam - Da Nang land takes place regularly at the eastern end of the Han Bridge at weekends, drawing much attention from both locals and visitors. 

Da Nang is Viet Nam’s second city after the capital Ha Noi selected to host an international film festival called the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF). The festival, co-organised by the Vietnam Film Development Association (VFDA), the Da Nang People's Committee and other foreign partners, was a celebration of the finest in Asian and Vietnamese cinema. The event contributed to promoting the development of the film industry of Da Nang, and Viet Nam as a whole, in addition to meeting cultural needs of local residents and outpacing the city’s tourism growth. If such an international event and the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival take place regularly in our city, these events will be very attractive to domestic and foreign tourists.  

Thus, Da Nang sees many potential advantages in cultural tourism. High priority  must be paid to further promoting the combined development between culture and tourism for mutual support, as well as creating conditions for each other to develop in a sustainable way.

Reporting by HUYNH HUNG – translating by H.L