Lang Son city: Awakening the potential of archaeological relics

– Along with other relics, Lang Son city also has 2 archaeological sites: Mai Pha and Phai Ve which are ranked at national level. In recent years, with the right awareness and solutions of the authorities and people of the city, these two monuments have gradually recovered after a long time of “slumbering” to meet tourism development.

Mai Pha archaeological site (in Mai Thanh village, Mai Pha commune) dating from today about 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, is an archaeological site with characteristics of the post-New Stone Age – Early Metal Age, typical for Mai Pha culture. The archaeological site of Phai Ve (block 3, Vinh Trai ward) has an average height of about 5 m, divided into 2 caves, discovered and excavated in the years: 1906, 1966, 1988, , located in the Paleolithic period extending from the end of Bac Son culture to the beginning of Mai Pha culture. These two archaeological sites were both ranked national monuments by the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) in 1999 and 2004.

Staff of Mai Pha Commune People’s Committee cleans and clears weeds at Mai Pha archaeological site

In the early days of the year of the Tiger 2022, we had the opportunity to return to the archaeological site of Mai Pha in Mai Thanh village, Mai Pha commune, Lang Son city. Far from the ruined scene of previous years, now, the relic has been cleaned and cleared. Thereby, the monument received positive feedback from the people and tourists.

Ms. Tran Bao Anh, Hoang Mai district, Hanoi city said: “I see that the relics of Lang Son city are increasingly invested, embellished, spacious, clean and beautiful, including archaeological relics. If in previous years, I wanted to visit the archaeological site of Mai Pha, I was afraid because the trees were dense and difficult to travel, but now it is much cleaner.”

In recent years, well aware of the role of heritage preservation and promotion associated with tourism development, the City People’s Committee has taken many measures to preserve and conserve such as zoning protection zones, marking information signs (name of archaeological site, year of excavation… Besides, in September 2019, the City People’s Committee approved the project “Tourism development in Lang Son city to 2030, vision to 2045”, in which, the orientation of exploiting and developing the archeological relics of Mai Pha and Phai Ve with tourism products to visit, research and learn. At the same time, the City People’s Committee assigned the Culture and Sports Department to pay attention and guide the Mai Pha Commune People’s Committee and the Culture – Sports Center to manage and protect the two relics. Mr. Hoang Thach Co, Vice Chairman of Mai Pha Commune People’s Committee said: Once a month, we send 3 to 5 officers and employees of the commune here to mow the lawn, collect garbage, and contribute to keeping the monument clean. At the same time, we promote propaganda about the Law on Heritage to the people so that people can jointly improve their responsibilities and protect relics in the area.

In addition, in 2020 and 2021, the City People’s Committee has assigned relevant units to restore and embellish Mai Pha archaeological relic with a total budget of more than 4 billion VND from the State budget; arranged more than 500 million VND to replace and repair lights and art lights at Phai Ve relic. In addition, the City People’s Committee also assigned a specialized department to coordinate with relevant units to promote propaganda about the value of the relic. For example, in 2021, the City Department of Culture and Sports collaborated with the Provincial Cultural Heritage Association to edit and publish the book “Lang Son City – The convergence of unique cultural heritage of Xu Lang” introduces the system of historical and cultural relics of the city, including Mai Pha and Phai Ve relics. With the above efforts, over the past 2 years, these two archaeological relics have been gradually restored, becoming attractive tourist attractions in the area. According to incomplete statistics of specialized agencies, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2019 to now, the archaeological relics of Mai Pha and Phai Ve have welcomed about 2,500 visitors.

Ms. Pham Thi Thuan, Deputy Head of the City’s Culture and Sports Department said: “We will continue to advise the City People’s Committee to strengthen the management of monuments and landscapes associated with tourism development in the area, including the archaeological relics of Mai Pha and Phai Ve. Along with that, we will strengthen the promotion and introduce the value of these two relics to domestic and foreign tourists.”

With the efforts and active solutions of the authorities and units related to the city, the archaeological relics of Mai Pha and Phai Ve have been gradually restored, worthy of the inherent value of the national monument. Thereby, these relics have met the sightseeing and learning needs of people in the province and tourists.