Typical Cultural and Historical Relics, Festivals and Traditional Craft Villages in Binh Thuan

Map 2.1. Administrative map of Binh Thuan province

Binh Thuan is located in the tropical monsoon region with two distinct seasons: the rainy season from May to October, the dry season from November to April of the following year. The average temperature of the province is 27 degrees Celsius, the average rainfall is from 800 - 1,600 mm/year, lower than the national average (1,900 mm/year) and is less affected by storms than the provinces of the South.

Central region is different. Binh Thuan has seven main river basins, but except for La Nga river, the length, basin and volume of the remaining rivers flowing into the estuaries in Binh Thuan province are small, not affecting the beaches near the river mouth.

Binh Thuan also has diverse land and forest resources. The majority of the territory is low hills, narrow coastal plains, narrow terrain stretching in the Northeast - Southwest direction, differentiated into many different types of terrain. The forest land area of the province is 368,319 hectares of tropical forests in the South Central Highlands, with many precious woods and wild animals, with potential sightseeing and research value for tourists. The famous natural landscapes of Binh Thuan are currently attracting many domestic and foreign tourists to visit. In addition, the province also has many mineral water mines with large reserves and good quality, capable of exploiting the production of soft drinks, algae production, medical treatment and resort services.

2.1.2. Socio-economic characteristics

2.1.2.1. Population and labor

According to the 2007 Binh Thuan Statistical Yearbook, the total population of Binh Thuan province is 1,175,227 people. Of which, the urban population is 467,140 people, accounting for 39.7% of the population. The population density is 150 people/km 2 , the average natural population growth rate from 2004 to 2007 is 14.5%. Binh Thuan is home to 34 ethnic groups. The Kinh people account for 93%, the Cham people account for 2.84%, the rest are other ethnic groups such as K'Ho, Rac-Lay, Tay, Nung, Hoa, ... Compared to other localities in the country,

Binh Thuan has a large number of Cham people, living in residential areas, mainly engaged in agricultural production and some handicrafts such as pottery making and brocade weaving. The Cham people have lived in Binh Thuan for a long time, are an ethnic group with a long history and a very unique culture such as customs, festivals, pagoda architecture, etc., which have enriched the cultural resources of Binh Thuan in particular and the whole country in general.

The number of people in working age is 725,299 people, accounting for 61.72% of the province's population, of which trained workers account for 16.8% of the total workforce. Abundant labor force with young average age is a great strength of Binh Thuan in the process of building and developing the province's economy and society.

2.1.2.2. Economic characteristics

Binh Thuan's socio-economic development has only picked up in recent years, with an average economic growth rate of about 10% in the past 5 years, higher than the national average. The province's economic sectors have developed synchronously, with a positive shift in economic structure. During the period 2001-2008, the agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors decreased from 39.44% to 24.97%, the industry-construction sector increased from 23.76% to 34.23%, and services from 36.8% to 40.8%.

The shift in the economic structure of Binh Thuan towards the increasing proportion of industrial and service sectors, the decreasing proportion of agricultural sectors, is consistent with the trend of structural shift in the world. Binh Thuan has diverse terrain, rich forest and marine resources, large mineral reserves, favorable for the development of industry structure and economic region structure. Binh Thuan has strengths in developing marine economy and tourism activities thanks to the territorial waters of 52,000 km 2 , reserves of about

220 to 240 thousand tons of seafood of all kinds and many beautiful natural landscapes. In addition, with geographical advantages and a young workforce, Binh Thuan is attracting many domestic and foreign investment sources in many industries, especially the rapid development of industrial parks in the province.

2.1.2.3. Social and human resources

Binh Thuan is a place where many cultures of ethnic groups intersect. Therefore, this place also preserves many spiritual and cultural values of ethnic groups such as customs, folk beliefs, festivals, and religions, creating unique features in the cultural and spiritual life of Binh Thuan people. Besides beautiful natural landscapes, Binh Thuan also owns unique cultural and historical relics, including many cultural and historical relics ranked by the State, many folk festivals, traditional customs performed throughout the province, contributing to enriching Binh Thuan's tourism resources. The social and human resources of the province are shown in the following table:

Table 2.1: Typical cultural and historical relics, festivals and traditional craft villages in Binh Thuan

I - Cultural and historical relics, temples and pagodas

	Name	Location
1	Duc Thanh relic site	Phan Thiet City
2	Cham architectural complex	Phan Thiet City
3	Van Thuy Tu Temple	Phan Thiet City
4	Dinh Thay Thim	Ham Tan District
5	Ta Kou Mountain Pagoda	Ham Thuan Nam District
6	Historical relic of Hoai Duc victory site – Bac Ruong	Tanh Linh District
7	Village communal house architectural and artistic relic Duc Thang	Phan Thiet City
8	Tomb of Nguyen Thong	Phan Thiet City
9	Ba Hoe Cave archaeological site	Ham Thuan Bac District
10	Scenic relic of Co Thach Tu (Hang Pagoda)	Tuy Phong District

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II - Traditional festivals

	Name	Time of organization
1	Chinese Nginh Ong Festival	Full moon of July (Lunar calendar), every two years in even years.
2	Boat racing festival on Ca Ty river	Second day of Lunar New Year
3	Kate Ice Festival of the Cham People	July 1st Cham calendar
4	Ho Ba Trao of the fishermen	Fishing village residents hold ceremonies to pray for smooth sailing.
5	Mid-Autumn Festival	Full moon of the seventh lunar month every year
6	Cau Ngu Festival	Fishermen hold ceremonies to pray for favorable weather, but the time is not fixed.

Source: [23.54]

(Images of historical sites and festivals are presented in Appendix 2.5)

2.1.3. Advantages and difficulties in developing tourism activities in Binh Thuan province

Based on the analysis of natural, economic and social characteristics of Binh Thuan province, the thesis has clarified the advantages and difficulties in developing tourism activities in the province.

2.1.3.1. Advantages in developing tourism in Binh Thuan

Firstly , Binh Thuan is located on the coast, inheriting many marine resources, can develop the seafood fishing industry, maritime transport, especially develop the tourism industry. Binh Thuan is located near Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Binh Duong, is the most dynamic economic region in the country, has many factories and enterprises in operation, a large concentration of workers, so the number of people with the need for tourism, entertainment, and relaxation is also the highest in the country. This is also the area with the highest population density and per capita income in the country, the ability to spend on entertainment services is large, creating a potential market for the development of tourism business activities.

Second, Binh Thuan has rich natural resources and diverse terrain, which is the foundation for building tourist destinations and entertainment areas.

The weather and climate in Binh Thuan are mild, less affected by natural disasters than other provinces in the South Central region. Binh Thuan has beautiful, clean, pristine beaches, suitable for developing resort tourism and coastal sports all year round. There are also many low mountainous areas, diverse terrain, rich biodiversity, potential for ecotourism, and research on flora and fauna, which are very popular.

In addition, the province also has many mineral mines with large reserves, especially Vinh Hao Mineral Spring, which has both high commercial value and is being exploited to develop mud bath resort tourism, attracting more and more tourists.

Third, in addition to the unique landscapes, cultural and social resources in Binh Thuan are also very diverse, making Binh Thuan tourism unique compared to other tourist localities. Coming to Binh Thuan, visitors will witness the largest whale skeleton in Southeast Asia worshiped at Dinh Van Thuy Tu (Phan Thiet), visit the place where Uncle Ho once stopped to teach at the Duc Thanh relic site or admire the unique Cham tower architecture complex. In particular, visitors can also enjoy the bustling scene of the boat racing festival on Ca Ty River during the Lunar New Year, the largest lantern festival in the country during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Nghinh Ong Festival of the Chinese in Binh Thuan. This place is also famous for its fish sauce specialty. The fish sauce production industry not only has commercial value but is also a unique cultural feature of the people of Binh Thuan.

Fourth , the political and social situation in the country as well as in Binh Thuan is stable, which is one of the factors ensuring the safety of tourists. This is one of the advantages of Binh Thuan in particular and our country in general compared to other countries in the Southeast Asian region.

Fifth, eco-tourism and resorts close to nature are the strengths of Binh Thuan tourism that are being favored by tourists. Binh Thuan does not attract tourists by luxurious tourism services, magnificent architectural works or comprehensive entertainment areas invested by modern technology. Tourists come to Binh Thuan to immerse themselves in the fresh, airy nature. Currently, types of sports tourism on the beach, exploring ecological forests, bathing in the water

Natural mineral springs… in Binh Thuan are attracting more and more tourists. (Appendix 2.1)

Sixth , the cost of living in Binh Thuan is lower than other tourist destinations in the country. Compared to other tourist cities such as Vung Tau, Nha Trang, and Phan Thiet, the cost of tourist services such as transportation, accommodation, food, shopping, etc. is only about 65% to 70%. This advantage of Binh Thuan tourism has attracted most of the tourists who are workers with low and average incomes.

In addition to the above advantages, Binh Thuan tourism is also a new thing for tourists from other localities, stimulating the desire to explore of tourists from all over. The friendliness and hospitality of Binh Thuan people is also a factor contributing to creating a good impression in the hearts of tourists about Binh Thuan.

2.1.3.2. Difficulties in developing tourism in Binh Thuan

Firstly , with the same type of sea tourism as other tourist destinations such as Nha Trang, Vung Tau, Phan Rang, etc., Binh Thuan has to face fierce competitive pressure. These tourist destinations are all located in the South Central and Southern regions, with relatively close geographical distances. Once tourists have visited the above sea tourism destinations, they will rarely continue their journey to Binh Thuan. Therefore, Binh Thuan has great difficulty in exploiting the tourism market from the North of our country.

Second , tourists increasingly have high demands for diversity in types and quality of tourism services. Because it is a young tourist destination, combined with limitations in investment in tourism development, Binh Thuan tourism does not have enough capacity and conditions to meet the diverse needs of tourists, especially international tourists. Although tourism products in Binh Thuan are cheaper than other localities, because they have not created diversity in product types and the quality of tourism products is still low, they are not really attractive to tourists, especially those with high incomes.

Third, shortcomings in management also cause certain difficulties for tourism activities in Binh Thuan. The repeated separation of state management agencies and the rotation of state management officials in charge of tourism activities in the locality make it difficult to operate, strategize and implement the construction of tourism projects.

Tourism programs and projects are not continuous. Disruptions in management make it difficult to monitor, evaluate, and learn from experiences in tourism investment activities.

Fourthly , although the natural landscapes planned into tourist areas of Binh Thuan are very diverse, they are geographically far apart, with some tourist destinations being 150 km from the center of Phan Thiet city, causing tourists to spend a lot of time and money traveling between tourist destinations. Beautiful natural landscapes such as Ganh Son, Cu Lao Cau (Tuy Phong), Hon Ba (Ham Thuan Nam) are too far from the center and have not been developed into comprehensive tourist areas with many diverse types of tourism, so they rarely attract visitors.

Fifth , the world and domestic economic situation in the past two years has changed in an unfavorable direction for tourism activities. The economic recession both domestically and internationally has caused unemployment for many workers, forcing them to cut spending, causing the tourism market of Binh Thuan in particular and Vietnam in general to shrink.

2.2. CURRENT STATUS OF TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN BINH THUAN GIAI

PERIOD 2001 – 2008

2.2.1. Organizing tourism activities in Binh Thuan province

Tourism activities in Binh Thuan province include organizing and guiding tours; production, trade and services; state management activities on tourism... to meet the needs of tourists for travel, food, rest, accommodation, sightseeing, entertainment, shopping...

2.2.1.1. Tour organization and guiding activities

Due to the comprehensive nature of tourism activities, the organization and transportation of tourists to Binh Thuan involves the combination of many different industries and fields, in which travel agencies are the units that directly organize tours and serve tourists. Because tourism activities are closely linked to the movement of tourists from their regular accommodation to the tourist reception area, there is the participation of travel agencies inside and outside the province, which can be divided into the following cases:

(1) Travel company of Binh Thuan

Figure 2.1. Cases of organizing tourism activities in Binh Thuan province:

(1.1.1) Travel within the Province

(1.1) bring local tourists

(1.1.2) Travel outside the Province

(1.2.1) travel

to Binh Thuan

(1.2) bring other local tourists

(1.2.2) Travel outside Binh Thuan province

(2.1) Bring local tourists to travel to other localities, including foreign tourism.

(2) Travel companies outside Binh Thuan Province

(1.2) Take other local tourists on tours

to Binh Thuan

Case (1.1.1) helps tourism activities promote its role in the socio-economic development of Binh Thuan province. However, local tourists have a lot of information about tourist routes in the province, so most of them travel in the province on their own, without using the services of travel companies.

Cases (1.2.1) and (1.2.2) have not developed in Binh Thuan because most tourists from other localities easily choose the services of travel agencies in their locality. Moreover, the scale and scope of operation of travel agencies in Binh Thuan are still small, so they are not able to attract the attention of tourists outside the province. International tourists choose the services of travel agencies of their own country or large Vietnamese travel agencies with representative offices in their country.

Case (2.1) is often for local tourists traveling far and long, especially traveling abroad. They often choose famous, reputable travel companies with large scale and scope of operations.

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