Dong Giang discovery
Dong Giang district (Quang Nam province) has recently become familiar to visitors thanks to its landscapes and indigenous culture.
Besides the tea plantation, Co Tu ethnic cultural characteristics are attractive to visitors. Talking about Co Tu ethnic culture, we cannot help mentioning village patriarchs who play a crucial role in the conservation of Co Tu ethnic cultural identity.
Village patriarch Y Kong in Tong Coi hamlet, Ba commune is an example. After retiring, he spends all his time collecting and restoring several musical instruments, implements, costumes, brocade, beads, jars and so on.
His house becomes a museum where visitors can contemplate Co Tu ethnic traditional things and enjoy Co Tu’s melodies through the sounds from his trumpet or musical instruments. Therefore, this place is rather attractive to foreign visitors.
According to village patriarch Y Kong, Co Tu people’s traditional products such as brocade, knitting baskets and bags can be sold as souvenirs to visitors.
Therefore, developing tourism services is one of the effective ways that helps increase the locals’ income, contributing to the local economic development, preserving and promoting Co Tu ethnic cultural values in Dong Giang.
However, it is necessary to train a staff for tourism activities, especially the young who have knowledge of Co Tu ethnic traditional culture and skills in tourism.
Leaders of Dong Giang said that they were planning on a cooperation in tourism with Tay Giang district (Quang Nam province) and A Luoi district (Thua Thien- Hue province).
Dong Giang is self-confident in attracting visitors with its landscapes (i.e. tea plantation, forests, springs…) and available cultural values (such as Guoi community house, traditional festivals, other tangible and intangible cultural values).