With a great passion for national art, outstanding artisan Nguyen Manh Tuan in Voi area, Ba Hang Doi town in Lac Thuy district, has developed and promoted a Muong ethnic cultural space with over 2,000 artifacts which are familiar in the daily life in the Muong ethnic people.
Outstanding artisan Nguyen Manh Tuan and artisans from the Muong cultural heritage preservation club in Ba Hang Doi town.
Tuan has collected thousands of rattan, hand-woven bamboo, pottery, bronze, and stoneware products which are cultural products in the Muong ethnic people’s life and are facing risk of falling into obvillion.
Besides, he has restored Muong stilt houses, studied the ethnic group’s identity and customs in the past and at the present in vegetarianism, weddings, festivals, dancing and singing in order to preserve, spread and educate young generation about regional national culture.
Spanning an area of 750 sqm in Mau Linh Son Ngoc temple, the model of the Muong cultural space displays over 2,000 items in the life of Muong people including gong, costumes, brocade blankets, horns, fangs of animals, ethnic musical instruments, cultural books, woodwork, and bronze utencils.
Tuan is also the founder of the Muong cultural heritage preservation club in Ba Hang Doi town which attempts to create a meaningful playground while preserving and promoting the good values of racial cultural identity, arousing passion, researching and educating traditional cultural values of the Muong ethnic group to young generations, contributing to the protection of the Vietnamese cultural heritage.
With vibrant, practical and attractive activities, more than one year after its establishment, the club has attracted 235 members of many different age groups.
joining the club, members will be taught various subjects such as gong culture, Muong folk dances and songs as well as the Muong language, especially for youngsters.
With endless efforts, artisan Nguyen Manh Tuan was awarded the title of Excellent Artisan in the field of social practices and beliefs in 2022.
With numerous contributions to the preservation and promotion of national cultural identity, he is also an outstanding example in charity and social security work in the locality.
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.
.jpg)
