Lac Son district, home to an array of tangible and intangible cultural heritage items of the Muong ethnic group, has paid due attention preserving and promoting the values of their unique culture.

Muong ethnic
people in Tan My commune, Lac Son district, playing "danh mang” folk game.
Over
the recent years, nine traditional festivals in Vu Ban town and Ngoc Lau, An
Nghia, Van Son, Nhan Nghia, Vu Binh, and Yen Phu communes have been revived,
and various clubs established to preserve local folk songs and dances.
The
district arranges classes to teach the young generation to play Muong gong and
sing folk songs, and provides accessories and costumes for art teams and
members of the Mo Muong (folk performing genre in rituals) clubs under a
project on preserving and promoting traditional cultural values of ethnic
minority groups in tandem with developing tourism.
Besides,
it has digitalised information on five local historical and cultural relic
sites, namely Muong Khoi war zone revolutionary historical relic site, Khoi
communal house in An Nghia commune, Coi communal house in Vu Binh commune, Tay
Tien Regiment 52 relic site in Thuong Coc commune, and Khenh communal house in
Van Son commune. The district has organised sport competitions and cultural
exchanges to maintain the Muong ethnic group’s traditional and folk games.
To
date, Lac Son has completed the upgrade, renovation and embellishment of the
Muong Khoi war zone national relic site with some 8 billion VND (over 318,000
USD). It is working to complete a dossier asking for the provincial People’s
Committee’s approval for renovation projects for Khu Dung cave in Nhan Nghia
commune, Bang communal house in Ngoc Lau commune, and the anti-Japan Truong Son
guerrilla class in Tan My commune.
Most
recently, Trai hamlet cave in Tan Lap commune, and Vanh village stone cliff in
Yen Phu commune have been recognised as special national historical cultural
relic sites.
Head
of the district’s culture and sports office Nguyen The Hung said the district
has worked closely with the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and
Tourism to build a pre-historical culture museum in Tan Lap commune, and
studied and proposed the construction of a Muong ethnic cultural space in Yen
Phu commune.
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.