(HBO) – The traditional fish-catching festival of Muong ethnic minority people took place on May 10 in Tan Vuong hamlet, Lo Son commune, Tan Lac district, Hoa Binh province, attracting crowds of local residents and visitors.
Lo Son, a remote
commune of Tan Lac, where more than 6 km of Suoi
Cai (Cai stream) passes through. Water from small streams around Muong Bi
area gathers to create one large natural Cai stream with clean water, providing
shelter for many kinds of fish.
Muong people here have
organised the fish-catching festival on the third lunar month every year for
generations.
Local teams compete in
casting-net throwing competition
The festival included
two parts – a ritual ceremony and entertainment activities.
The ritual ceremony was
solemnly held at the hamlet’s shrine where a shaman performed rites to pray for
good weather, bumper crops, luck and health. After that, four young men carried
a raft to the stream and representatives of the hamlet and commune threw the
nets first.

Raft racing
Meanwhile, the locals
joined the festival’s entertainment activities in the stream’s Tro and Lo areas,
such as draft racing, casting-net throwing competitions, fish-catching contest,
and a fair of local farming products.

Leaders of the People’s Committee of Lo Son
commune and local people release fries into the stream
The annual festival
aimed to pay tribute to the Gods while preserving and promoting the local
cultural values. It also provided an opportunity for the local people to get
relaxed and increase solidarity as well as raised their awareness of protecting
the environment and natural resources and harms of the destructive fishing
practices like those using electricity and explosives.
It was part of events
in celebration of Tan Lac district’s 60th founding anniversary
(October 15, 1957-2017).
By Thu Thuy
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
Recognising the importance of cultural heritage preservation in protecting and promoting the value system of Vietnamese culture, and serving socio-economic development in the new period, Party committees and local administrations in Hoa Binh province have identified it as a key task in the cultural development strategy. The province has been making efforts in mobilising resources, creating consensus among people and engaging ethnic communities in preserving and promoting cultural identity.
Hoa Binh province has captured growing attention both domestically and internationally for its distinctive cultural heritage and rich history. Most notably, it has been renowned for its famous Hoa Binh culture, considered the cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilisation. Looking ahead to significant milestones in 2025 and the 140th anniversary of province establishment in 2026, Hoa Binh Newspaper presents a comprehensive overview of the province's development across economic, social, cultural, tourism, and security domains.