(HBO) – Traditional costumes are among typical cultural identities of ethnic groups. Now in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes (Mai Chau district), local Mong ethnic people still wear them almost every day, which impresses visitors and adds to the area’s attractiveness.
Mong ethnic people in traditional costumes of Hang Kia and Pa
Co communes visit a market.
Phang Y Mai, an elderly resident in Pa Hang
village of Pa Co commune, said Mong women have made clothes for their families
from generation to generation.
Men’s clothes are mostly black and have very
loose trouser legs so that men can easily climb hills and mountains to work or
practice traditional dances. Belts, called "lang dua la” in Mong language, form
an indispensable part of their clothes.
Meanwhile, women’s clothes consist of skirts and
blouses. Skirts, known as "ta” in the Mong language, are loose and pleated and
look like blooming flowers when spread out. They are also decorated with unique
patterns embroidered or printed carefully. Meanwhile, blouses, called "so”,
have V-shaped collars and are attached with pieces of cloth with wearers’
favourite colours. They also feature elegant decoration patterns and silver
coins creating joyful sounds when wearers move. Particularly, sleeves are
embroidered with colourful patterns, making the blouses more eye-catching.
Farming flax, weaving cloth, making clothes,
embroidering, drawing in beeswax, and dying patterns have become a traditional
craft of Mong women. Each costume of the ethnic minority is a result of its
maker’s month-long industriousness.
Nowadays, Mong people in the two communes are
still preserving traditional costumes in association with developing tourism as
a way to uphold their cultural identity. Besides, a traditional brocade making
village in Pa Co commune was also recognised in 2019.
Via efforts to preserve traditional costumes and
crafts, Hang Kia and Pa Co have been striving to introduce the local cultural
quintessence to visitors, thereby helping to develop local tourism./.
Phong Phu commune, Tan Lac district of Hoa Binh province, is widely regarded as the cultural heartland of the Muong ethnic group. Among its many traditional communities, Luy Ai hamlet (formerly Ai hamlet) stands out as a rare location where the customs and way of life of the Muong Bi people remain largely intact.
The Truong Kha temple festival, a distinctive cultural event held every three years in Vu Ban township, Lac Son district, returned recently with vibrant rituals and folk traditions of the Muong people. Located next to the Buoi River in the Muong Trao fields, the Truong Kha Temple is dedicated to the three Kun Dol deities, revered for teaching farming techniques, irrigation, weaving, and protecting the harvest.
The demand for spaces serving community activities of residents in various areas across Hoa Binh city has been satisfied as local cultural houses now feature modern, spacious facilities thanks to the effective implementation of Resolution No. 49/NQ-HDND issued on December 28, 2021 by the city People's Council, which approved the plan for reorganising, converting, and allocating land for the construction, repair, and expansion of cultural houses in Hoa Binh’s villages and residential areas until 2025.
At the end of May, the Hoa Binh Provincial Ethnic Arts Troupe organized a series of performances for residents in Region 2 and Region 3 communes across the province. Bringing art to ethnic communities in remote, isolated, and especially disadvantaged areas has become a meaningful activity. These are not merely artistic performances but also journeys to disseminate cultural values, enrich spiritual life, and contribute to preserving the cultural identity of ethnic minorities.