An aerial view of Hung Yen province (Photo: diendandoanhnghiep.vn)

Located in the heart of the Red River Delta, Hung Yen is linked culturally by the river to many other northern localities. It boasts some 2,000 historical and cultural relics, more than 500 festivals rich in Vietnamese tradition, and hundreds of ancient craft villages.

Building on these cultural assets, and taking advantage of new opportunities in tourism and creative services after the administrative merger, Hung Yen has made cultural development a top priority for economic transformation and shaping a modern identity.

As a result, the province is conserving and restoring major relics, digitizing heritages, and developing a Red River cultural space. One example is the road connecting cultural heritages, tourism, and economic zones along the Red River, a 350-million-USD project launched in August.

The new route connects heritage spaces, leverages culture for economic growth, and opens new opportunities for future tourism development.

“The project to build a heritage–tourism–economic connection road along the Red River from Van Giang, Khoai Chau, and Kim Dong to Hung Yen will connect spiritual cultural heritage sites along the Red River such as Thang Long-Pho Hien, and Tam Chuc-Bai Dinh-Perfume pagodas. This is an opportunity and a driving force for development,” said Do Huu Nhan, Director of Hung Yen province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

By focusing on cultural preservation and “turning heritages into assets,” Hung Yen is making culture a key part of its development structure. The province, identifying digital transformation as a breakthrough solution, is accelerating the digitization of relics, building a digital museum, creating automated audio guides and 3D digital maps for tourists, and developing an integrated tourism information platform.

“Implementing Politburo Resolution 57 on breakthroughs in science–technology development and national digital transformation, we are digitizing materials for exhibitions and raising public awareness of Hung Yen’s cultural heritage. This contributes to preserving and promoting heritage values,” Vu Nguyen Ly, Deputy Director of the Hung Yen Museum, said.

Digital transformation creates opportunities for Hung Yen’s culture to be widely promoted to both domestic and international markets. These efforts are helping to shape the image of a dynamic Hung Yen that preserves and spreads the culture of the Red River while moving toward sustainable development.

At the provincial Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term in October, Mr. Nguyen Huu Nghia, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, outlined several key tasks for the coming years.

“We will continue to restore, preserve, protect, and promote the nation’s traditional cultural values and heritage, especially the ancient Pho Hien culture, aiming to make Hung Yen a distinctive cultural heritage center of the Red River Delta and a safe, friendly, appealing destination.”

At the same time, Hung Yen will review and select outstanding tangible and intangible heritage to propose for inclusion in the national heritage list, he said.