Having applied himself to researching and preserving traditional culture, Meritorious Artisan Bui Huy Vong in Huong Nhuong commune, Lac Son district, has won high regard from many people for his dedication to the Muong ethnic culture.
Meritorious Artisan Bui Huy Vong shares his journey to
research and preserve the Muong ethnic group’s culture.
Vong said researching and preserving the Muong
culture and bringing into play the good cultural values of ancestors in the
modern life is an arduous journey. However, thanks to support from district and
grassroots authorities as well as local artisans, he has obtained certain
achievements.
In particular, he has helped with the
restoration of some traditional festivals such as those of the Khenh Communal
House in Van Son commune, the Bang Communal House in Ngoc Son commune, and the
Khoi Communal House in An Nghia commune. He has written and published nearly 20
books, about 10 scientific articles on specialised magazines, along with
hundreds of articles, short stories, and research papers on central and local
media agencies.
Recalling difficulties and endeavours in the
restoration of local temples and festivals, Vong noted it took almost 10 years,
from 2001 to 2010, to rehabilitate the main hall of the Bang Communal House,
but it was not until 2016 that the Chay Dat - Chay Muong ritual of this site’s
festival was revived. Besides, it took up to 15 years, from 2003 to 2018, to
have the main hall and festival of the Khenh Communal House restored.
As the core zone of the Muong culture, Lac Son
district has also paid attention to revitalising the Muong ethnic singing. As a
result, the folk singing movement has become popular in the local community
over the last 10 years. Five clubs of "thuong rang” and "bo meng”, two types of
the Muong folk singing, have come into being, drawing more than 200 artisans.
Not only an artisan, collector, and researcher,
Vong is also one of the first person to post video clips about the Muong
singing on YouTube, attracting millions of viewers.
However, he is still concerned that many
valuable cultural heritages like the Vanh village stone shelter, the Trai
hamlet cave, Mo Muong, Muong gongs, as well as the customs and folk songs of
Muong people remain untapped. District authorities have just restored traditional
festivals and utilised the ethnic group’s space and cuisine for tourism
development.
Vong expressed his hope that the local Party
Committee and People's administration will hold regular meetings with artisans,
collectors, researchers, and those preserving the traditional culture. They
should create a space at major events and folk festivals for Muong singing
artisans in Lac Son, as well as those from across Hoa Binh province and other
localities, to engage in exchanges. In addition, it is important to pay more
heed to tourism promotion to bring into play the role of the local community
and artisans of the Muong culture.
As part of Project 6 under the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2024, Lạc Sơn District, Hoa Binh province focuses on diverse and practical activities to promote the project's goal: "Preserving and promoting the beautiful traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in conjunction with tourism development."
After 3 years of implementing Resolution No. 04-NQ/TU, dated October 11, 2021 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of Hoa Binh province's ethnic groups in the period of 2021 – 2025 with the orientation to 2030 (NQ04), it has mobilized the participation of the entire political system, the people from all walks of life and there have been positive changes. So far, out of the 10 targets of NQ04, 3 targets have been met and exceeded the plan set for 2025. Typically, 70% of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of ethnic groups in the province is on the list of the national ICH items and they have been protected and restored, exceeding 20% of the proposed Resolution.
Great National Unity Day has been recently celebrated in Duong hamlet, Vay Nua commune, Da Bac district, in an atmosphere of warmth and community spirit. The event highlighted national identity and strengthened the bond of solidarity among residents.
On November 28, the People's Committee of Cao Phong district organized the Cultural and Sports Festival of Cao Phong district's ethnic groups in 2024.
