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./.
Xoe dance, an unique art form of the Thai ethnic minority group in Mai Chau district of Hoa Binh province has existed for a long time and passed down through generations. Xoe dance is not only a popular dance in the Thai community but also a unique cultural feature, an indispensable part in the Thai ethnic minority people's cultural and spiritual life.
The Bac Son pre-school in Hung Son commune, Kim Boi district is effectively implementing a model of preserving and promoting cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group.
Through ups and downs, many unique cultural features of the Muong ethnic minority group are facing risks of falling into oblivion. However, with a strong determination, Lac Son district of Hoa Binh province has deployed synchronous solutions to preserve and promote the locality's cultural heritage values.
If Tan Lac is considered the core of the cradle of Muong culture in Hoa Binh, Phong Phu commune is the cultural centre of Muong culture in Tan Lac district. Luy Ai hamlet in Phong Phu commune is where customs and traditions of Muong Bi are preserved. Luy Ai hamlet was chosen to build a space to preserve Muong ethnic culture. The district is seeking support from the province and coordinating with relevant agencies to devise a plan on preservation of Muong cultural spaces associated with developing tourism products and improving the lives of local residents.
Nguyen Manh Tuan, a Muong ethnic man in Ba Hang Doi town, Lac Thuy district, is known as a young, dedicated, and outstanding artisan who has made significant contributions in collecting, restoring, and preserving national cultural values.
The Government Office with Document No. 2082/VPCP-KGVX, dated March 29, 2024, sent out the opinion of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha regarding the submission of the "Mo Muong" and "Cheo art" dossiers to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
