(HBO) – The Muong Culture Space Museum is located in a small limestone valley in Hoa Binh city, about 70km from Hanoi. Forgetting the busy daily life, we went to this place to see why many people leave noisy urban areas to come here at weekends or holidays to live in a peaceful environment close to the life of Muong people. Not at all dry as the image that the name "museum” often suggests, visitors to the place will find themselves in a lively space close to the nature.
The 5ha
Muong
Culture
Space
Museum, established in 2007, is covered by the
green of Wedelia chinensis plants. The plant’s small yellow flowers, which are
in blossom the whole year, especially in spring, line the small paths, creating
a poetic scenery. The museum’s staff also use these flowers to decorate
reception desks and the lounge, giving visitors a fresh and relax atmosphere.
A corner of Muong Culture Space Museum
Welcoming us were the museum’s staff
and guides who looked graceful in Muong women’s traditional costumes, along
with painter Vu Duc Hieu who devoted his youth and assets to study and
establish the
Muong
Culture
Space
Museum. Hieu gave us the first impression of a man
of few words with melancholy eyes. Though he is called Hieu "Muong”, Hieu is
actually of the majority Kinh ethnic group and born in
Hanoi. In 2000, he graduated the
Hanoi
Industry
University in the glass
technology major. He has a strong attachment to Hoa Binh as he grew up in the
province and is engulfed by the unique Muong culture.
The
Muong
Culture
Space
Museum is divided into two areas: one for
reproductions and the other for display. Currently, the museum is preserving
about 3,000 objects and many valuable books on Muong culture. Hieu spent 10
years collecting these exhibits.
The museum is built as a miniature of
the Muong society with four stilt houses corresponding to four different social
strata. The first place to visit is the Lang house, demonstrating the life of the
landlord class. After the Lang house is the Au house of the Lang’s servants,
the Noc house of the commoners, and then the Noc Troi house of the lowest class
in the Muong society.
The
Muong
Culture
Space
Museum attracts a lot of domestic and foreign
visitors
Our journey through both the
reproduction and display areas at the museum ended at sunset. A dinner with
typical dishes of the Muong was ready for us to enjoy.
This was also an attraction for
tourists when visiting the museum, where they can not only learn about the Muong
culture but also enjoy Muong dishes and sleep in stilt houses, which makes the
place ideal for a short holiday or on weekends. Visitors, especially those
coming here for the first time, are sure to be impressed by such dishes as
steamed forest vegetables, grilled fish, hot steamed glutinous rice and Muong
wine. If you are lucky to come in the right season, there are some unique
specialties such as ant egg or bee larvae.
We will definitely come back to the
museum to enjoy the environment and cuisine of the Muong people again.
Hai
Yen
Hoa Binh province has shown strong performance in family planning by effectively implementing directions and plans in the field, including Directive No. 12/CT-UBND issued by the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee on August 4, 2021 on rolling out measures to maintain the policy of each couple having two children, which is stated in community rules and the regulations of agencies, organisations, and units across the province of Hoa Binh for the 2021 – 2025 period.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended a hybrid conference on December 18 to review the culture, sport, and tourism sector’s performance in 2024 and launch key tasks for 2025. Standing Deputy Secretary of the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Council Bui Duc Hinh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Chuong and officials from local departments and sectors also took part in the event.
Hoa Binh’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism on December 18, hosted a conference to present the outcomes of a research study on the traditional costumes of the Muong ethnic group.
Along with the activities of Project 6 - the national target programme for socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas for the 2021 – 2026 period, efforts to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities in Lac Son district have received additional momentum.
In the context of globalisation and deeper integration, preserving and promoting the national cultural identity is of utmost importance. Aware of their pioneering and proactive role on all fronts, over the years, the youth organisations at all levels in Hoa Binh province have implemented various concrete and practical activities to preserve and promote the cultural identities of ethnic groups in the locality.
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