HBO – As of June 2018, the ethnic minority groups in Hoa Binh province owned a total of 786 intangible cultural heritages, according to statistics of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. More than ever, the preservation and promotion of heritage values need due attention.


Artists perform at second Muong gong festival

 Hoa Binh is home to six ethnic groups with their own cultural characteristics, which helps form a diverse, unique and impressive culture of Hoa Binh.

 Basically, the local ethnic groups still maintain their traditional customs. The values of heritages related to literature, spoken language and handwriting (excluding Muong ethnic group) are conserved, while folk knowledge and traditional costumes are kept at an average level. For example, Muong people’s cultural values such as folk singing, gong art, and epic are well preserved and appreciated. Stilt houses are fading away, but many localities such as Lac Son and Tan Lac are building stilt houses using concrete instead of wood as usual. Meanwhile, Tay people still keep their folk songs and maintain the teaching and learning of ancient handwriting in the community. The Dao ethnic group continues maintaining "cap sac” (maturity ritual), Tet nhay (dancing ceremony), and ancient handwriting study, while Mong people still preserve their costumes, housing architecture, forging, language, Tet (new year) festival and khen (panpipe) festival.

 Notably, some positive signs have been seen in recent time, including the development of traditional festivals and Muong gong. The role of Muong shamans has been improved in society.

 Localities have paid attention to and invested in preserving and promoting the values of intangible cultural heritages through the formation of one traditional cultural village, dozens of community-based tourism cultural villages at the provincial level, as well as the implementation of nearly 30 scientific projects on culture and ethnic groups, the organization of nearly 50 classes to teach folk arts, hundreds of classes on ancient handwriting, and the restoration of 50 traditional festivals.

 As of June, five ethnic minority groups in the province owned 786 intangible cultural heritages, including spoken language, handwriting, literature, folk performance art, traditional festivals, handicrafts and folk knowledge.

 The provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee allowed to collect, study and make scientific documents for two intangible cultural heritages: Mo Muong and Muong gong, and consider the use of Muong alphabet. The province will continue making a document on Mo Muong to submit to UNESCO in order to seek its recognition as the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding./.

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