A culture, sports and tourism festival of ethnic minority groups in Vietnamese and Lao border localities is taking place in A Luoi district, Thua Thien-Hue province.
The event attracts more than
600 artisans, artists, and amateur athletes from both sides. They come from
Vietnam’s central and Central Highlands provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri,
Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, and Kon Tum, and the Lao provinces of Attapeu, Sekong,
Savannakhet, and Salavan.
Opening the festival on May 17th, Vietnamese Deputy Minister
of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy said the event aims to honour and
introduce the special cultural values of ethnic minorities while enhancing the
solidarity, friendship, cooperation and cultural exchange between the two
countries’ border provinces.
Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos
Buangan Xaphuvong said the great friendship, special solidarity and
comprehensive cooperation of the two countries are hard to be found anywhere
else in the world. This festival will help reinforce cultural exchanges between
Laos and Vietnam, as well as relations between the two peoples in general.
Activities in the festival include exhibitions of the
localities’ culture and tourism products, arts performances, shows of
traditional costumes and brocade making, reenactment of traditional festivals
and customs, and a culinary competition. The programme also features
traditional sports of local ethnics such as pole pushing, tug of war, and
crossbow shooting.
Source: DCS
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.