Balancing heritage preservation and cultural tourism
DNO - As of July 30th, thousands of tourists participated in the Dong Giang Festival 2026 taking place in the Dong Giang Heaven's Gate Ecotourism Area (Da Nang City). It is a highlight of the summer tourism, featuring a series of local cultural and artistic experiences.
The first-ever art exchange program between Champa and Co Tu cultures, under the framework of the Dong Giang Festival 2026, attracted a large number of tourists. This contributes to diversifying the city's tourism products and opening up a new model linking heritage preservation and cultural tourism development along the route linking the Hoi An - My Son - Dong Giang Heaven's Gate.
The festival included numerous experiential activities such as "Greetings to Dong Giang," "Meeting the Great Forest," "Burning Highlands," meeting with artisans, demonstrations of traditional crafts, enjoying local cuisine, and exploration of the Co Tu ethnic minority's cultural space. In particular, these activities are arranged in various spaces in this tourist area to allow visitors to directly interact, experience, and learn about the cultural life of the local community.
One of the highlights of the festival was the art exchange program between the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board and the Dong Giang Heaven's Gate Ecotourism Area. It was the first time the unique cultural values of the two heritage sites appeared together in a performance program to introduce Champa culture and Co Tu culture to visitors.
The festival aims to preserve and promote the value of heritage while building in-depth cultural tourism products along the route of Hoi An - My Son - Dong Giang Heaven's Gate. It contributes to extending the experience for tourists, increasing the value of the destination, and promoting tourism development in the western area of Da Nang.
According to Director of the Management Board of the My Son World Cultural Heritage Nguyen Cong Khiet, the festival received positive responses from tourists. This shows that traditional cultural values can be introduced in many different spaces while still maintaining their appeal. It is also a commendable collaborative model to bring heritage closer to the public and expand opportunities to promote local cultural values.
CEO of Dong Giang Heaven's Gate Ecotourism Area, Dang Pham Trieu Van, said the festival is an opportunity for local tourism development and part of a long-term development strategy based on culture. The tourism area aims for a model that connects heritage preservation and tourism development. As culture becomes the center of tourism products, traditional values will have more opportunities to be preserved, spread, and continued to thrive in contemporary life.
At the same time, it is also an opportunity to connect cultural spaces, create unique products, and contribute to turning the western area of Da Nang into a destination rich in distinctive features on the Vietnamese tourism map.
According to Da Nang's tourism development plan, the western region of the city is expected to become a new driving force with ecotourism, relaxation, and community-based cultural tourism. Of this, the route linking Hoi An - My Son - Dong Giang Heaven's Gate is considered a journey connecting historical, natural, and cultural values. It contributes to diversifying local tourism products, extending the length of tourists' accommodation, and increasing their spending.