In the early days of the Year of the Snake, visitors flocked to Yen Phu commune of Hoa Binh’s Lac Son district to experience the "Xuong Dong" (going to the field) festival, the largest celebration in the Muong Vang region, which is closely linked with the Mai Da Lang Vanh (the stone roof of Vanh village) archaeological site, which has been recognised as a special national relic site.

In local people's belief, the Trang - Vanh limestone mountain range is where a loyal dove stopped to eat fruits and met misfortune while delivering a letter from the beautiful Huy Nga to her lover Hai Moi. This area is home to several significant sites, including Khop Pagoda, Vanh communal house, and Ra Pagoda, with Khop Pagoda being located inside a cave on top of the Trang (White) Mountain, where statues of Phat Thien Ba (Lady Buddha Thien Ba), King Cung, and King Hai are revered as the protectors of crops and the well-being of the Muong people. The Mai Da Lang Vanh archaeological site is part of the cave system in the Trang limestone mountain range and is an essential relic of the Hoa Binh Culture, still preserving a portion of its original cultural layer, with numerous deposits from the Quaternary period found on the cave walls.

In the past, on the 7th day of the first lunar month according to the Muong calendar (equivalent to the 8th day of the lunar New Year), the Muong community would organise a festival to offer seasonal crops to the gods, symbolising prosperity and praying for favourable weather, bumper harvests, and good health. After various historical challenges, the festival was revived in 2005 and is now held every three years.

Bui Van Sinh, a respected ritual master in Vanh village, explained that before the festival begins, it is customary to visit the shrine at the Mai Da Lang Vanh to perform a ritual honouring the guardian deities who protect the village. The offerings typically include both savoury and vegetarian dishes, fruits, and alcohol. A key part of the offers includes sticky rice, a pig's head, boiled chicken, boiled papaya, three-ingredient wine made from sugarcane, ginger, and lemongrass, as well as "oan," a cake made of roasted glutinous rice flour. The ritual takes place in the early morning, followed by a procession to the Vanh Ra fields to observe the "Xuong Dong" (going to the field) ceremony. The person selected to carry out the ploughing ceremony must be a strong, agile man capable of performing physical tasks. The first furrow, deep and straight, is made across the expansive fields, symbolising the community’s hopes for productive labour and a prosperous year ahead.

After completing the important rituals, the festival continues with lively festivities, including a spectacular art programme, a Muong traditional costume contest, volleyball matches between villages, and folk games such as tug-of-war, the traditional game of "danh mang” (bringing "mang” seeds into holes), and "day gay” (stick-pushing).

This year, a special addition to the festival was a women's football match between villages. What makes this match unique is the mandatory rule that players must wear the traditional Muong dress, with ankle-length skirts.

Pham Ngoc Tuyen, a visitor from Thanh Hoa province, expressed his impression of the match's female players in Muong skirts playing football. While playing in such attire is somewhat inconvenient, the atmosphere is filled with laughter from start to finish. It was a joyful experience and a meaningful way to appreciate Muong ethnic culture, he said.

Bui Van Canh, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Phu commune, said that for generations, Yen Phu has been immortalised in the epic "De Dat, De Nuoc” (The Birth of Land and Water), the famous epic of the Muong people. The "Xuong Dong” festival in Yen Phu preserves the rich cultural heritage of local people, fostering the spirit of spring labour and signaling a bumper harvest. The festival introduces thousands of visitors to the Mai Da Lang Vanh special national relic site and highlights an important aspect of the local cultural life, serving as a spiritual legacy that encourages future generations to preserve and build upon it, he stated.

In recent years, the Party Organisation, administration, and people of Yen Phu commune have united to achieve impressive progress in various areas. In 2024, the commune's economic growth reached 12%, with per capita income hitting 59 million VND (2,316 USD), along with flourishing cultural and social development and ensuring national defence and security. The "Xuong Dong" festival is a dignified ritual with a diverse and engaging celebration, maximising the cultural identity and potential of the local community.