(HBO) – Thanks to the Resolution adopted at the fifth plenum of the 8th-tenure Party Central Committee on building and developing Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity, Mo Muong, a unique cultural heritage of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh province, has been restored since 2000.
Mo Muong is a job and also a performance
practiced at funerals, religious festivals, and life cycle rituals by the Muong
ethnic group. The art consists of Mo prayers and performances, by Mo
practitioners, or Mo artisans.
Hoa Binh province has viewed Mo Muong as a
cultural heritage that needs to be preserved and promoted, and has included it
in the Resolution of the provincial Party Congress for the 2015-2020 and
2020-2025 tenures.
The Resolution highlighted the mobilisation of
resources to preserve and promote mountainous cultural identities of ethnic
minority groups in combination with tourism development.
It also mentioned the submission of the dossier
on Mo Muong to the UNESCO for recognition as an intangible cultural heritage in
need of urgent protection.
Despite ups and downs, with the introduction of
foreign culture, Mo Muong has maintained its vitality and nurtured the
personality and soul of generations of Muong people.
To preserve the custom, the entire political
system and people in Hoa Binh have implemented both short and long-term plans
seeking the UNESCO’s recognition.
The Standing Board of the provincial Party
Committee has ordered strengthening the leadership of all-level Party
committees in realising the Law on Cultural Heritage and documents on the
protection and promotion of cultural values, notably Mo Muong.
The board asked all-level Party committees,
authorities, Vietnam Fatherland Front committees and social-political
organisations to actively coordinate with relevant ministries, agencies and
localities in seeking the Prime Minister’s approval to submit the dossier to
the UNESCO.
Luu Huy Linh, Deputy Director of the provincial
Director of Culture, Spots and Tourism, said his department will step up the
communication work in the time ahead to raise public awareness of Mo Muong.
Mo Muong performances would be staged at
programmes, festivals, cultural exchanges and other events in the province, he
said.
The Mo Muong club in Lac Son district has been
assigned to open Mo Muong classes, Linh said, adding that the department will
also partner with its counterparts in a number of provinces where Muong people
are living to complete the dossier. /.
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).
