(HBO) – Quy Hoa commune in Lac Son district of Hoa Binh province is in the paddy harvesting season. In terraced fields, local residents are busy harvesting paddy.
Bui Van Dat, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Quy
Hoa commune, said over the past years, the commune’s Party Committee and
People’s Committee have instructed locals to preserve traditional culture,
adding that the work needs patience.

Local
residents in Quy Hoa commune, Lac Son district, often put on traditional dresses
during festivals or major events.
Residents in Quy Hoa have preserved traditional customs
and habits of the Muong ethnic group such as their language, traditional
costumes, gongs, stilt houses, and funeral and wedding rituals.
Quy Hoa has more than 400 gongs of different types,
which are used during the traditional Tet festival, National Day and other
major festivals.
It has maintained at least one club of "sac bua” (gong
playing) in each hamlet, even two-three clubs in some hamlets.
Weaving has also been restored in the locality, mainly
serving daily needs of locals. Weaving products are also sold to visitors.
"Khai ha” is one of the unique festivals in Quy Hoa,
which is held on the eighth day of the first lunar month to pray for favourable
weather conditions and bumper crops.
Local residents only go to work following the festival
as they believe that Gods and ancestors protect them after they receive offerings,
said Bui Van Nhiem, head of hamlet Thung 2.
Dat said Lac Son district has implemented a project
restoring traditional culture in Quy Hoa commune to serve another project on
local tourism development.
The district aims to optimise Quy Hoa’s potential and
ensure the harmony between development and the preservation of tangible and
intangible values.
Quy Hoa has planned to establish a working group that
is tasked wish restoring the traditional culture, while stepping up the
communication work to raise public awareness of the work.
The Party Committee and People’s Committee of Quy Hoa
commune have created conditions for locals to promote exchanges, helping to
raise the pride of traditions among young generations./.
Gongs hold a special place in the cultural and spiritual life of the Muong ethnic people in Hoa Binh province. More than musical instruments, they are an indispensable part of community rituals and collective memory, echoing through generations as a spiritual thread linking the past, present, and future.
Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group has become an urgent task in the current context, as many traditional values face the risk of fading away. This effort requires not only protecting the cultural identity but also eliminating outdated customs and developing a modern cultural lifestyle, contributing to sustainable values for the Muong community in Hoa Binh province.
The Muong ethnic culture, deeply rooted in Vietnam’s mountainous north, continues to be preserved and revitalised by dedicated individuals and communities determined to safeguard their ancestral identity.
The Muong group is one of the largest ethnic minorities in Vietnam, primarily found in Hoa Binh province. The Muong people in Hoa Binh boast a rich and diverse cultural treasure that reflects the unique identity of this ethnic group. Accounting for over 63% of the province's population, they have created and preserved numerous distinctive cultural values, contributing to their unique identity. Their cultural heritage is an invaluable asset, at the heart of their national identity, and represents a vibrant spiritual life that must be preserved and promoted in today’s modern world.
For generations, the ethnic communities of Hoa Binh province, particularly the Muong people, have preserved vibrant festivals deeply intertwined with the region’s geography, nature, and social traditions. These celebrations enrich Hoa Binh’s spiritual life and cultural identity, reflecting both folk beliefs and the intermingling of ethnic customs. Many of these festivals have endured the test of time, passed down through generations and continuing to thrive today. Among them, the Khai Ha (Going Down to the Field) festival stands out as one of the most significant events of the Muong ethnic group.
Muong calendar, known as sach doi, is an ancient folk knowledge system developed through observations of the movement of the pleiades star. This unique calendar consists of 12 bamboo sticks, each representing a lunar month. Specific days within each month are marked with distinct symbols, guiding locals in determining auspicious and inauspicious days for important activities.