Research on the potential of Southern Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh

ABSTRACT

Tra Vinh is a small province in the Mekong Delta, with a population of three Kinh-Khmer and Chinese ethnic groups. Tra Vinh and Soc Trang are the two most populated Khmer communities in Vietnam, the Khmer and their culture have made a special culture for this land. The Khmer people in general and the Khmers living in Tra Vinh in particular, in the process of living with the ethnic groups have the interference but retains its own features in community activities, cuisine, festivals and art. Traditional performance.

With the unique cultural elements of the Khmer, Tra Vinh province has set strategic goals and orientations for tourism development based on the culture of the Khmer indigenous. Legal documents, activities calling for investment, field surveys, workshops organized by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Tourism Promotion Center of Tra Vinh province has gradually brought Khmer cultural tourism in particular and Tra Vinh tourism closer to investors in and outside the province . However, these activities show that only a few units are trying to achieve the objectives of tourism development, but there is no uniformity and unity among all levels, units, people and owners, culture.

Travelers are very interested in Khmer culture (especially foreigners), however, they (visitors and travel agencies) have not found the means, the best way to reach and use this cultural resource. On the other hand, Tra Vinh is considered as potential tourist less than neighboring provinces, but the number of visitors and know about Tra Vinh is very little. Khmer culture is also gradually losing influence of the market economy, the change in the structure of human resources in the province. All have a great influence on the maintenance, protection and embellishment of the culture of the Southern Khmer in Tra Vinh.

After many concerns about tourism in Tra Vinh province and the cultural tourism products of the province of Khmer, the author found that the topic of "Researching the Southern Khmer cultural potential in Tra Vinh", will be a study highly applicable for tourism development of Tra Vinh. Vinh. The main research methods of the author are field surveys, interviews and expert consultation (individuals with much experience, knowledge and seniority in the field of tourism). With this

method, the author has gained and developed many new actions and solutions for bringing the trademark "Tra Vinh - Green tourism tourism" closer to those who have been and will participate. Entering into tourism business in Tra Vinh.

specifically, chapter 1 presents theoretical background on the potential of cultural tourism and cultural Khmer in the South, experiences of cultural tourism of countries in the region and experiences of localities. Cultural highlights in Vietnam. Chapter 2 of the topic is the current situation and potential development of cultural tourism Khmer Southern in Tra Vinh, researched two main issues: the situation of cultural tourism Southern Khmer in Tra Vinh and tourism in Tra Vinh province; Assess the tourism potential of cultural elements Khmer Southern in Tra Vinh. The practical synthesis of chapters 1 and 2 together with the synthesis of expert opinions, Chapter 3 are recommendations of the authors for the development of tourism in general Tra Vinh and tourism Khmer Southern in particular.

As a result of the study, the authors set the criteria for assessing the Khmer cultural tourism sites, assessing the potential tourist destinations of Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh, the experience tours, scenarios and The standard for organizing Khmer night cultural exchanges in Khmer temple in the province. With the Khmer cultural tourism products as mentioned above, the author expects that the topic of "Studying the potential of Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh" will be applied to the practical business of tourism in Tra Vinh.

INDEX

COMMITMENT iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

SUMMARY iii

ABSTRACT v

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS x

LIST OF TABLES AND DIAGRAMS xi

INTRODUCTION 1

1. Reasons for choosing topic 1

2.1. Research subject 2

2.2. Scope of research 2

3. Research objective 2

3.1 General Objective 2

3. 2. Specific objectives 2

4. New points of topic 2

4.1. Domestic research situation 2

4.2. Research situation abroad 4

5. Research methods 4

5.1. Data used for research: 4

5.2. Research methods:: 4

Chapter 1 THEORETICAL BASIS OF CULTURAL TOURISM POTENTIAL AND SOUTHERN KHMER CULTURE 6

1.1. Theoretical basis of cultural tourism potential 6

1.1.1. Concept of tourism and tourism products 6

1.1.2. Concept of tourism resources and tourism potential 7

1.1.3. Cultural tourism and community tourism 7

1.2. Factors affecting the exploitation of cultural potential for tourism development 9

1.3. Southern Khmer culture and activities to develop Southern Khmer cultural tourism

................................................................ ................................................................ .......................................... 11

1.3.1. Southern Khmer culture 11

1.3.2. Material life 12

1.3.3. Spiritual life 14

1.4. Experience in exploiting the potential of cultural tourism in general and Khmer culture in particular in Vietnam and in the region 18

1.4.1. Experience in exploiting cultural tourism potential in region 18

1.4.2. Experience in exploiting cultural tourism potential in Vietnam 21

1.5. Conclusion 24

Chapter 2 CURRENT STATUS AND POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPING SOUTHERN KHMER CULTURAL TOURISM IN TRA VINH 25

2.1. Overview of Tra Vinh and tourism in Tra Vinh province 25

2.1.1. Overview of Tra Vinh 25

2.1.2. Overview of Tra Vinh province tourism 26

2.2. Orientation in preserving and promoting Southern Khmer culture of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam 29

2.2.1. Orientation of the Party and State 29

2.2.2. Orientation of Tra Vinh province 30

2.3. Current status of Southern Khmer cultural tourism development in Tra Vinh 31

2.3.1. Tourism environment 31

2.3.2. Human resources (capacity, experience, expertise, passion for the job). 32

2.3.3. Community Cultural Factors 33

2.4. Khmer cultural resources with tourism exploitation potential in Tra Vinh and current status 34

2.5. Assessment of the potential of Southern Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh 38

2.6. Evaluation of potential elements of Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh 41

2.7. Conclusion 53

Chapter 3 PROPOSALS FOR DEVELOPING SOUTHERN KHMER CULTURAL TOURISM IN TRA VINH PROVINCE 54

3.1. Discussion results and expert opinions 54

3.1.1. Tourists are impressed and want to learn about the unique features of Khmer culture:... 54

3.1.2. The importance of Khmer cultural resources that can be exploited and developed for tourism in Tra Vinh, 54

3.1.3. The importance of internal and external factors to the tourism development potential of Tra Vinh province 55

3.1.4. To develop tourism based on Southern Khmer culture, Tra Vinh needs to carry out the following groups of tasks in order: 56

3.1.5. To develop Southern Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh, the locality should conduct tourism business in the form of 57

3.1.6. To evaluate the potential of Southern Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh, it is necessary to base on the following criteria: 57

3.1.7. To effectively carry out the task of "socializing" Southern Khmer cultural tourism, Tra Vinh province needs to pay attention to the following factors: 58

3.1.8. Opinions for the development of tourism in Tra Vinh province in general and Southern Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh in particular: 58

3.2. Proposals and strategies 60

3.2.1. Focus on building and implementing pilot services for tourists with a number of complete Khmer cultural tourism products 59

3.2.2. Effectively promote the image of Southern Khmer people and Khmer cultural tourism products in Tra Vinh 62

3.2.3. Planning and implementing investment plans to exploit Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh in specific stages with the participation of society and local authorities 66

3.2.4. Assign tasks and work clearly and specifically to each group of subjects697

3.3. Conclusion and Future Research Directions 70

CONCLUSION 73

REFERENCES 74

APPENDIX 1. Distribution of evaluation scores of tourist areas

APPENDIX 2. Basic criteria for assessing the potential of Khmer cultural tourism destinations APPENDIX 3. Standards for venues for organizing cultural exchanges

APPENDIX 4. Script of Khmer cultural exchange program APPENDIX 5. Tour program

APPENDIX 6. List of experts

APPENDIX 7. Research questionnaire (summary)

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Acronym

Meaning
People's Committee	People's Committee
TNDL	Tourism resources
WTO	World Tourism Organization
ETC	European Travel Commission
PATA	Pacific Asia Travel Association

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LIST OF TABLES AND DIAGRAMS

Diagram 1.1: Relationship between Tourism Resources, Tourism Potential and Tourism Products 8

Table 2.1. Number of visitors to Tra Vinh 2012 - 2016 26

Table 2.2. Tourism revenue structure 2012 – 2016 27

Table 2.3. Summary table of potential for Khmer cultural tourism in the South of Tra Vinh (SWOT method) 37

Diagram 2.1. Basic factors attracting tourists to tourist destinations 42

Table 2.4. Table of potential components of Khmer cultural tourism in Tra Vinh 41

Table 2.5. Summary of potential elements for developing Khmer cultural tourism in the South in Tra Vinh 51

Table 3.1. Southern Khmer cultural tourism service package in Tra Vinh 60

Diagram 3.1. Stages of promoting the brand "Tra Vinh Tourism - green culture experience" 63

Table 3.2. Plan for exploiting (piloting) Khmer cultural tourism attractions in Tra Vinh 65

1. Reason for choosing the topic

INTRODUCTION

According to the historical process of our ancestors, Vietnamese immigrants lived together with Chinese, Cham and indigenous Khmer people to open up and reclaim the southern land, which is now the Mekong Delta or the Southwest. Southern Khmer people are often compared to Khmer people in Cambodia, but through the research of cultural scholars, Southern Khmer people also have different customs, ethnic characteristics and cultural forms compared to Cambodian Khmer people.

The Southern Khmer people in general and the Southern Khmer people living in Tra Vinh in particular have beautiful cultural features that have made a strong impression on visitors from all over: traditional costumes, Neck-ta beliefs, the main religion of Hinayana Buddhism, attractive performing arts, unique temple architecture, etc. Soc Trang has long applied the beautiful cultural features of the Khmer people to tourism, which are loved and sought after by many domestic and foreign visitors, bringing economic benefits to the local people. Tra Vinh province is adjacent to Soc Trang, the Khmer cultural resources are quite similar, but tourism activities are very weak and have not attracted tourists. This has been a major concern for the author over the years. With the knowledge and affection of a Tra Vinh native, the author sees the potential of Khmer culture in Tra Vinh. He himself wishes to do something to bring this beauty to everyone, enhance Tra Vinh tourism products, thereby bringing benefits to those who do the job and continue the profession.

Therefore, the author finds that the implementation of the topic "Research on the potential of Khmer cultural tourism in the South of Tra Vinh" is necessary and useful for the future development of the province's tourism industry. And through this, the author hopes to receive comments and contributions on the topic from experts and councils so that the author can improve future research topics.

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