(HBO) – A retired teacher in Phong Phu commune, Tan Lac district is known far and wide for his enthusiasm for studying and preserving the cultural values of the Muong ethnic people in Hoa Binh province. Born and growing up in the ancient land of Muong Bi, Bui Van Noi has accumulated a lot of knowledge and documents about Muong ethnic culture.
Bui Van Noi (third, from left) shows people his studies about Muong
culture.
Realising the importance of preserving and promoting the Muong ethnic cultural
identity, he researched and wrote books and articles about culture in general
and Muong ethnic culture in particular. He also participated in the teaching of
the Muong language.
Since 2010, Noi has been the author or co-author of many books and dictionaries
relating to Muong culture. He also wrote for Hoa Binh Newspaper, Hoa Binh Arts
Magazine, Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee website, Nguon sang (Light)
Magazine of Vietnam Folk Arts Association and Ethnology Magazine.
Thanks to his studies and contributions to Muong culture preservation, Noi has
won many awards such as Prize A of the Vietnam Folk Arts Association in 2008;
Prize C of the Vietnam Ethnic Minorities Literature and Arts Association in
2013, a second prize in the contest "90 years of Hoa Binh Culture",
and two third prizes from the Hoa Binh Literature and Arts Association.
Bui Thi Trang, cultural officer of Phong Phu commune, said that
Noi has made great contributions to preserving and promoting the cultural
values of the Muong ethnic group in the commune in particular and Hoa Binh
province in general.
When the province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism collected
tangible and intangible cultural values in the area, Noi was one of the active
contributors and he provided the agency with valuable information.
His work helps people across the country understand more about the rich and
unique culture of the Muong ethnic group. Particularly, the Muong script of Hoa
Binh province is being taught and disseminated to units, agencies and schools
throughout the province.
As a land deeply intertwined with human history and Vietnam’s millennia-long journey of nation-building and defence, Hoa Binh is often revered for its epic tales and legends.
Residents of Hoa Binh boast a rich cultural identity, reflected in their unique language, traditional attire, customs, and folk melodies – described as "sweet as honey, clear as a mountain stream.”
Lac Son district’s Vu ban town held the 2025 Truong Kha temple festival on April 12–13 (the 15th–16th days of the third lunar month). Since its revival in 2019, the festival has been organised every three years, preserving valuable intangible heritage while meeting the community’s cultural and spiritual needs.
The clothing of women reflects the culture of the Muong, Thai, Tay, Dao, and Mong ethnic groups in the northern province of Hoa Binh.
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.
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