(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. /.
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.