The direction was outlined at the first session of the Gia Lai Provincial Party Committee’s Steering Committee for implementing Politburo Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW, dated January 7, 2026, on the development of Vietnamese culture.
Thai Dai Ngoc, a member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Gia Lai Provincial Party Committee and head of the steering committee, called on Party committees, agencies, units and localities to move from preservation alone to preservation combined with value promotion, and from heritage management to the effective and sustainable use of cultural assets for socio-economic development.
The approach requires broader changes across the political system, communities and businesses, rather than being confined to the cultural sector.
Gia Lai has a diverse cultural landscape combining the distinctive traditions of the Central Highlands and the Central region. Its cultural assets include gong culture, whale worship festivals, epics, traditional handicrafts and indigenous knowledge.
The province has nine national intangible cultural heritages. Its community of artists and artisans includes 21 People’s Artists, 64 Meritorious Artists, seven People’s Artisans and 67 Meritorious Artisans, providing a foundation for the development of distinctive cultural and tourism products.
Provincial authorities are seeking to strike a balance between preserving heritage and bringing it into contemporary life. Heritage risks becoming detached from communities if preservation is limited to inventories and documentation, while excessive commercialisation could undermine its identity.
The province therefore aims to keep cultural traditions alive through community practice, transmission and participation while ensuring that efforts to create economic value reinforce rather than erode their cultural identity.
Ngoc called for Gia Lai to identify cultural assets with the strongest potential and develop them into signature cultural and tourism products, while avoiding fragmented, overlapping and ineffective investment.
Despite its wealth of cultural resources, the province still lacks products strong enough to establish a distinctive brand.
Cultural products should therefore be built around prominent local values, linked to specific cultural spaces and designed to tell distinctive stories about Gia Lai.
Gong culture, brocade weaving, traditional festivals, cuisine, village architecture and community life could be integrated into connected cultural and tourism offerings.
Traditional brocade weaving among the Bahnar, Jrai and Cham H’roi communities is seen as one area with significant potential. Traditional techniques could be adapted into market-oriented products while retaining their local identity.
Linking brocade weaving with community-based tourism, e-commerce and visitor experiences could also generate additional livelihoods and encourage residents to preserve traditional crafts.
The province also needs stronger cooperation among government agencies, researchers, artisans, businesses and communities, alongside greater digitalisation and new approaches to cultural promotion.
Training in tourism, design and business skills for local residents will also be important. Communities should participate throughout the process, from developing ideas and implementing projects to sharing in their benefits.
The effectiveness of cultural projects should be measured through specific indicators and linked to clear responsibilities. Assessment should extend beyond visitor numbers and revenue to include employment created, the development of a new generation of artisans and the extent to which heritage remains active in community life.
At the centre of the strategy is human development.
Ngoc stressed the need to develop well-rounded Gia Lai residents with a strong sense of identity, while improving human resource quality, nurturing talent in culture, the arts and sports, and creating a healthy cultural environment.
The province aims to foster qualities including patriotism, solidarity, compassion, courage, diligence, creativity, discipline and ambition. Such values should be cultivated through families, schools and communities, alongside efforts to identify, train and recognise talent in literature, the arts and sports.
Gia Lai currently reports that 91.32% of households are recognised as “cultural families”, 85.77% of hamlets and residential groups as “cultural communities”, while nearly 35% of the population regularly participates in sports.
The challenge is to ensure those designations are reflected in tangible improvements, including stronger families, safer communities and more civilised behaviour, while gradually reducing domestic violence, child marriage, outdated customs, superstition and harmful cultural products.
Ultimately, Gia Lai’s cultural strategy seeks to turn a change in thinking into measurable programmes, products and outcomes rather than slogans or short-term campaigns.
By keeping heritage active, placing communities at the centre of cultural development, nurturing talent and strengthening the cultural environment, the province aims to make culture an internal source of strength in its pursuit of prosperity, civilisation and well-being.