Dak Lak brings together the traditional cultural values of the Central Highlands - Truong Son and other cultural streams across Vietnam. Culture has become a powerful “soft resource” and a key driver of the province’s sustainable socio-eco development.

The province boasts a long-standing, diverse and distinctive cultural heritage: vibrant festivals, prominent cultural traits, longhouses, dramatic natural landscapes, varied cuisine and ancient musical instruments such as gongs and stone lithophones. Dak Lak is also one of the rare places that still preserves Khan chanting and epic storytelling performed by local masters.

Dak Lak province has actively integrated cultural values into tourism and service development, taking culture beyond preservation spaces.

Dak Lak currently has two UNESCO-listed intangible cultural heritages: the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands and the Art of Bai Choi of Central Vietnam. The province also records 11 items on the national intangible cultural heritage list, 5 special national relics, 39 national relics and 132 provincial relics.

Mr. Tran Hong Tien, Director of Dak Lak Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said culture must be treated as a “living entity” in the province’s new development thinking - one that generates economic value and improves people’s livelihoods. The province has actively promoted cultural values linked to tourism and services, moving culture “out of conservation spaces” to become high-value, competitive products.

In practice, culture is not merely a source of pride but has been directly translated into economic value through tourism models. In Ako Dhong village (Buon Ma Thuot ward), Jun village (Lien Son Lak commune) and Tong Ju village (Ea Kao ward), local livelihoods have gradually improved thanks to community-based tourism models. They sustain their stilt houses, weave traditional textiles, prepare local cuisine and perform gong music to receive visitors - a clear example of culture converted into livelihoods.

Residents and visitors participating in cultural activities at the Hang Po Festival (Cu Bao ward).

Tuy Hoa ward has successfully leveraged local cultural assets for tourism development. Its strengths include Nhan mountain ecological complex linked to Nhan Tower and Cham Pa cultural space; a stone-art cultural park showcasing emblematic symbols of the eastern area such as Xuan Dai bay, Da Dia reef, Mui Dien cape, the Ho Chi Minh memorial house and communal houses of ethnic groups…

Traditional river and coastal festivals - such as Chua River boat racing and Long Thuy sea-praying festival - remain vibrant, attracting researchers, cultural experts and domestic visitors keen to experience local traditions.

Bai Choi performances drawing large audiences of locals and tourists.

Major cultural events have also been upgraded to national and regional scale. A prime example is the biennial Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival, which serves as a bridge to bring the “World’s Coffee Capital” brand to the global stage, attracting investors and millions of visitors.

By awakening local pride and harnessing cultural assets, Dak Lak is defining its regional brand and turning culture into an endogenous engine for development.

Translated by KHUONG THAO