Proposal for Viet Nam Agricultural Heritage Park in Tuyen Quang

On August 12, the Central Coordinating Office held a meeting in Hanoi to discuss the spatial planning for rural tourism development in Thai Binh Commune, Tuyen Quang. The meeting was chaired by Mr Nguyen Xuan Dai, Chief of the Central Coordinating Office for National Target Programs.

Making agricultural heritage the axis of development

The study of the proposal, carried out at the directive of the Minister of Agriculture and Environment, represents an important preparatory step in determining the scope, scale, content, implementation and required resources of the project under discussion. The proposal must be aligned with existing plans, local conditions, laws and regulations.

At the meeting, the delegates focused on plans for a Vietnamese Agricultural Heritage Park, building on the Bo Canh Nong National Historic Site (with “Bo Canh Nong” being the old name for the current Ministry of Agriculture and Environment). The park is envisioned as a distinctive cultural and agricultural destination, showcasing the development of Vietnamese agriculture from traditional practices to modern farming.

The Bo Canh Nong Historic Site is identified as the core of the project, highlighting the legacy of the Ministry of Agriculture in the Viet Bac Resistance Base and the story of Viet Nam’s modern agricultural governance. The park could recount the nearly 80-year journey of Viet Nam’s agricultural sector – from ensuring food security to making Viet Nam one of the world’s major agricultural exporters – as well as its pursuit of an ecological, modern, smart, and low-emission agriculture.

The park will not be a conventional museum or merely a tourist attraction. Instead, it should aim to become a “living museum”, where heritage is preserved and demonstrated through production activities, hands-on experiences, education, traditional skills training, and community life.

This would create a stronger link among the heritage site, the surrounding craft villages, production areas, OCOP products, cultural spaces, and local communities. Local residents would become active participants in heritage conservation, product development, and service provision, while also benefiting from tourism.

The spatial planning framework should explore a series of interconnected functional zones that together form a continuous visitor experience. These would include a heritage conservation area; a zone representing the history of Viet Nam’s agricultural sector; an area for hands-on agricultural production and indigenous knowledge; and spaces showcasing crop and livestock varieties, and traditional craft villages.

The plan should also include spaces for education, research, and innovation; service and commercial areas; and venues for experiencing local community culture. Spatial planning should capitalize on existing strengths, avoid scattered or excessive investment, and create a distinctive identity for the destination.

The planning process must also strike a balance between heritage conservation and development, preserving the landscape, minimizing environmental impacts, and prioritizing green, resource-efficient solutions that are resilient to climate change. Digital technologies should be applied to heritage interpretation, visitor experience development, data management, and park operations.

Mr Nguyen Xuan Dai stressed that any proposal must clearly articulate the park’s distinctive value, with the story of Viet Nam’s agricultural civilization and the Bo Canh Nong Historic Site serving as the overarching narrative thread. It must lead to signature experiences that answer four key questions: Why would visitors want to come? Why would they want to stay? Why would they want to return? And why would they want to recommend the destination to others?

The community is to be at the heart of the park's development and operation. Local residents should be involved at every stage, from planning and organizing activities to providing products and services and sharing in the benefits. Tourism products should therefore be closely linked to local livelihoods, agricultural production, culture, indigenous knowledge, traditional craft villages and OCOP products, thereby increasing the value of agricultural products, expanding markets and generating additional sources of income.

To turn this vision into reality, Mr Đại said the proposal must clearly define the scope of the study, the scale of the project, functional zones, the management model, operating mechanisms and plans for mobilizing resources. Investment should be carried out in phases, with a clear focus and priorities on conserving the heritage site, completing essential infrastructure, and developing several distinguished places of interest to enhance the visitor experience at an early stage.

All present have agreed to continue consulting with relevant departments and agencies, local authorities, residents and other stakeholders to ensure that the proposal reflects local realities, is feasible, and enjoys broad consensus.

New impetus to the rural economy

The local government hopes the project will create additional space to preserve and promote historical values, while also developing new tourism products and enhancing the value of agricultural and OCOP products, local culture, and indigenous knowledge. If effectively organized and managed, the park could create more jobs, increase local incomes, stimulate the service sector, and provide new momentum for the rural economy.

The provincial government has called on the Central Coordination Office, research institutes, and experts to do surveys and assessments of the current situation, and to help determine the scope of the project, work out its spatial arrangement, management model, and things to be prioritized.

The local authorities will coordinate in providing documents and information on land, planning, relics, infrastructure, production areas, craft villages, OCOP products and locations with potential for tourism.

Once completed, the proposal will be submitted to authorities for consideration and approval, serving as the basis for the gradual establishment of the Viet Nam Agricultural Heritage Park in Thai Binh Commune.