(HBO) – Despite changes in their modern life, an increasing number of Muong ethnic women seek their ways back to their old days by wearing traditional dresses to celebrate lunar New Year (Tet) instead of modern outfits.


Muong Dong ethnic women in Kim Boi district in traditional costumes prepare a tray of their signature dishes.

 In an interview with reporters from the Hoa Binh Newspaper, Bui Thi Hao from Chanh hamlet in Vinh Dong commune said with delight that in her village, elderlies wear Muong costumes every day while younger women prefer Muong dresses for the occasions of festivals, ceremonies, and weddings.

 According to her, all women in her village own at least one traditional dress and a silver chain belt, passed down as a special keepsake among women in their families for generations.

 A traditional Muong dress consists of a white shirt and long black skirt. The outfit, which is suitable for different body sizes, keeps its wearer comfortable in the cool weather in spring but is still elegant enough. Nowadays, the shirt has more colours than just white due to local women’s preferences.

 Life is changing. Muong people’s stilt houses have been replaced with cement ones, and parts of their language and traditions modified. However, their costume embodies a strong power to survive and even thrive in the modern life./.  

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