Ritual offerings to the gods at the Mai Da Lang Vanh (the stone roof of Vanh village) special national relic site in Yen Phu commune, Lac Son district.

Revived in 2005, the "Xuong Dong” Festival, also known as the Yen Phu Khai Ha Festival, is held every three years and is closely linked to the archaeological site of Mai Da of Lang Vanh (the stone roof of Vanh village), which was officially recognised as a special national relic site. The festival aims to promote and raise awareness of the archaeological site's value, while also praying for a prosperous year with favourable weather, bountiful harvests, and good health for the people. It honours the gods and ancestors who cleared the land and taught the local community the art of rice farming.

The festival features a range of ceremonial rites, including offerings at Mai Da Lang Vanh and the New Year ploughing ritual. Following major rituals, Yen Phu residents participated in a variety of cultural activities, performances, sports, and traditional games, including a Muong ethnic costume contest, tug-of-war, the traditional game of "danh mang” (bringing "mang” seeds into holes), and "day gay” (stickpushing).

Meanwhile, in Vu Binh commune of Lac Son, from February 3–5 (the 6th-8th day of the Lunar New Year), the Coi communal house festival was celebrated on a local scale. According to Muong ethnic folklore and the accounts of village elders, Coi communal house was built in the early 19th century, located near the foot of Mount Khu Bay, in the Coi Khua rice fields. The house has the traditional Muong stilt house style, with three main rooms, two side rooms, and six stone-supported columns. Its thatched roof spans around 8 metres in length, 5 metres in width, and 7 metres in height, featuring a main entrance, a side door, and seven smaller openings. The temple’s floor is raised 1.4 metres above the ground, facing south. The structure primarily uses wood.

The primary deities worshipped at Coi communal house include Queen Mother Hoang Ba, King Ca (Saint Tan), King Cun, King Hai (Cao Son and Quy Minh Lords), the tutelary gods, and the village’s ancestral spirits.

 A Muong gong performance during the Coi communal house festival Vu Binh commune of Lac Son.

The communal house festival, held annually, is a way for the community to express gratitude to Queen Mother Hoang Ba and Saint Tan Vien for saving the people from severe floods, teaching them how to farm, raise livestock, weave, and ensure the prosperity and well-being of the village.

In addition to rituals such as processions, offerings, and the "Com moi” (new rice) ceremony, the festival creates a vibrant and festive atmosphere, featuring activities like song contests, a Muong ethnic costume display, local OCOP (One Commune - One Product) product booths, volleyball competitions, and popular folk games such as tug-of-war, "danh mang”, rope skipping, and "nem con” (throwing the cloth balls).

Related Topics

Hoa Binh enhances the management and use of cultural-sports institutions

Muong cultural heritage museum promotes ethnic identity

The Da River sparkles during the Fish Worshiping and Flower Lantern Releasing Festival

The 2025 Fish Praying and Flower Lantern Releasing Festival: A tribute to the Da river, awakening a new journey

---

Yen Thuy District: Vibrant emulation movement to build cultured residential areas and families

With an increasingly vibrant and widespread emulation movement aimed at building cultured residential areas and cultured families, Yen Thuy District has been making steady progress toward improving both the material and spiritual well-being of its people, while fostering a civilized, prosperous, beautiful, and progressive community.

The joy of having a cultural house

Once lacking recreational spaces and community facilities, Residential Group 2 in Quynh Lam Ward (Hoa Binh City) has recently received attention for the construction of a new, spacious, and fully equipped cultural house. The project followed the model of state support combined with public contributions in both labor and funding.

Kim Boi: Cultural life building efforts produce fruitful outcomes

The "All people unite to build cultural life" movement, which has been effectively integrated with Kim Boi district’s socio-economic development goals, is fostering a lively spirit of emulation across local residential areas, hamlets, villages, public agencies, and enterprises. In addition, through the initiative, traditional cultural values are being preserved and promoted, while community solidarity and mutual support in poverty reduction and economic development are being strengthened.

Provincial leader inspects construction site of Mo Muong conservation space

A working delegation of the Hoa Binh provincial People’s Committee led by its Permanent Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Toan on June 11 inspected the progress of a project to build the Mo Muong Cultural Heritage Conservation Space linked to tourism services in Hop Phong commune, Cao Phong district.

A “fire keeper” of Muong culture

Born and growing in the heroic land of Muong Dong, Dinh Thi Kieu Dung, a resident in Bo town of Kim Boi district, in her childhood was nurtured by the sweet lullabies of her grandmother and mother. These melodies deeply imprinted on her soul, becoming an inseparable part of her love for her ethnic group's culture. For over 20 years, this love for her hometown has driven Dung to research, collect, and pass down the cultural values of the Muong people to future generations.

Bringing art to the people in remote and disadvantaged areas

In the final days of May, the Ethnic Art Troupe of Hoa Binh Province organized performances to serve the people in remote, mountainous, and particularly disadvantaged areas within the province. These were not just ordinary artistic shows, but they were the meaningful journeys aimed at spreading cultural values, enhancing the spiritual life of the people and contributing to the preservation of ethnic minority cultural identities.