With his love for traditional musical instruments, at the age of over 60, artisan Hoang Van Vien, Gieng Xa hamlet, Cu Yen commune (Luong Son), still maintains his passion and enthusiasm. He actively participates in performing folk songs and dances, and teaches Muong gongs to younger generations with a desire to preserve and promote traditional cultural values.
Artisan Hoang Van Vien, Gieng Xa hamlet, Cu Yen commune (Luong Son), cleans his Muong gongs.
A Muong ethnic member, Vien started learning to play Muong gongs in 1981 and since then, he has always been enthusiastic and passionate about the Muong ethnic culture, regularly participating in cultural programmes. He is often invited to folk performances on major holidays and competitions in the district and province.
To preserve the beauty of the traditional culture, he has taught many others in his village on how to play Muong gongs. Vien shared that Muong gongs are the soul of the ethnic group’s music. "We place into it the optimistic spirit and life philosophies of our people. With gongs, we can play solo, in chorus and use them in love songs, folk songs and dances... I want to preserve and pass them on to younger generations so that the ethnic cultural identity is not lost.”
Over the recent years, Cu Yen has strengthened the management, preservation and promotion of Muong ethnic cultural values, including language, customs, beliefs, cuisine, and costumes. It has encouraged all people to participate in building and developing an advanced culture imbued with national identity. Currently, the commune has two Muong gong teams with three sets of gongs and 36 pieces.
Bui Dinh Luan, Vice Chairman of the commune People's Committee, said that in order to preserve and further promote the cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group, the committee regularly organises cultural exchange activities; commends units that care about preserving ethnic cultural traditions; and promotes the role of village elders in teaching the beauty of ethnic culture to the younger generations.
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Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district are home to a large number of Mong people, who are known for the traditional craft of brocade weaving - an essence of their ethnic group.
Late Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s view on culture has served as the lodestar and a source of encouragement for Hoa Binh in cultural development.
On October 4, at the Provincial High School for Ethnic Minorities, the Department of Education and Training held the opening ceremony for the 2024 Cultural and Sports Festival for Ethnic Boarding and Semi-boarding Schools in Hoa Binh Province.
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Lac Thinh commune, Yen Thuy district, is home to 1,635 households, of which 82% are ethnic minorities, mainly Muong people. In recent years, the commune has prioritised to developing cultural clubs, aiming to both enrich the community's spiritual life and preserve traditional cultural values.
