(HBO) – Traditional costumes are among typical cultural identities of ethnic groups. Now in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes (Mai Chau district), local Mong ethnic people still wear them almost every day, which impresses visitors and adds to the area’s attractiveness.
Mong ethnic people in traditional costumes of Hang Kia and Pa
Co communes visit a market.
Phang Y Mai, an elderly resident in Pa Hang
village of Pa Co commune, said Mong women have made clothes for their families
from generation to generation.
Men’s clothes are mostly black and have very
loose trouser legs so that men can easily climb hills and mountains to work or
practice traditional dances. Belts, called "lang dua la” in Mong language, form
an indispensable part of their clothes.
Meanwhile, women’s clothes consist of skirts and
blouses. Skirts, known as "ta” in the Mong language, are loose and pleated and
look like blooming flowers when spread out. They are also decorated with unique
patterns embroidered or printed carefully. Meanwhile, blouses, called "so”,
have V-shaped collars and are attached with pieces of cloth with wearers’
favourite colours. They also feature elegant decoration patterns and silver
coins creating joyful sounds when wearers move. Particularly, sleeves are
embroidered with colourful patterns, making the blouses more eye-catching.
Farming flax, weaving cloth, making clothes,
embroidering, drawing in beeswax, and dying patterns have become a traditional
craft of Mong women. Each costume of the ethnic minority is a result of its
maker’s month-long industriousness.
Nowadays, Mong people in the two communes are
still preserving traditional costumes in association with developing tourism as
a way to uphold their cultural identity. Besides, a traditional brocade making
village in Pa Co commune was also recognised in 2019.
Via efforts to preserve traditional costumes and
crafts, Hang Kia and Pa Co have been striving to introduce the local cultural
quintessence to visitors, thereby helping to develop local tourism./.
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.