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The Truong Kha temple festival, a distinctive cultural event held every three years in Vu Ban township, Lac Son district, returned recently with vibrant rituals and folk traditions of the Muong people. Located next to the Buoi River in the Muong Trao fields, the Truong Kha Temple is dedicated to the three Kun Dol deities, revered for teaching farming techniques, irrigation, weaving, and protecting the harvest.
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Locals perform the
sacred water-giving ritual at the Truong Kha Temple Festival in Vu Ban
township, Lac Son district.
The festival, which
was officially revived six years ago following its recognition as a provincial
cultural heritage site, blends ancient practices with local legends passed down
for generations.
Among the highlights is the sacred water-giving ritual, rooted in the tale of a
fatally ill man who recovered after drinking water from a stream near the
temple, now known as Vo Temple. Villagers continue to drink water from the
site, believed to be blessed, though none dare use it for washing.
Another key ritual is the traditional fish-catching ceremony on the Khoang Kha
section of the Buoi River, historically a protected zone only opened during
major festivals. The practice serves both spiritual and ecological purposes,
reflecting old customs around preserving natural resources.
The festival also features unique ceremonies such as the procession of the Kun
Dol deities, buffalo hunting, rain and harvest prayers, and the symbolic
release of fish.
The festival draws communities from across Vu Ban and neighbouring communes.
Over time, the event has grown to include cultural performances, drum and gong
ensembles, and folk games such as wrestling, diving, rafting, and traditional
Muong singing competitions.
According to Bui Thi Thi, Vice Chairwoman of Vu Ban township’s People’s
Committee, the festival not only preserves and promotes Muong heritage but also
contributes to local socio-economic development by drawing visitors and showcasing
the richness of Hoa Binh’s ethnic culture.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
