(HBO) - For Muong people, gongs are the soul and treasure. The sound of gongs has become an indispensable cultural activity in the spiritual life of Muong people. As a ward with nearly 40% of the Muong ethnic population, for many years, the Party Committee, the appropriate authorities and the people of Thai Binh Ward (Hoa Binh City) have always paid attention to the conservation and preservation of Gongs and Muong Gong culture.
The students of Thai Binh Secondary & High School (Hoa Binh City) are participating in the Muong Gong teaching class.
Mr. Bui Thanh Binh, the director of the Muong Cultural Heritage Museum, who is devoted to the Muong ethnic culture, with the Muong gongs, an enthusiastic teacher giving free lessons at the family's museum says: Thai Binh Ward has organized a class to teach Muong ethnic gongs to 60 students, of which the main force is young people. I am very excited to teach them. The students have been learning quickly, passionately and excitedly with the gong lessons. These are the positive signals for the locality to continue replicating the factors and the dedicated teams with Muong gongs, and the Muong gong culture.
Ms. Tran Thi Cuc, the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thai Binh ward says that currently, there are 3 Muong gong teams in the ward. Three gong teams regularly perform in local and provincial events, festivals and anniversaries. With 60 students being taught Muong gong this time, in addition to equipping them with the technology how to beat the traditional gong to conserve, preserve and promote the value of Muong Gong culture, contributing to furthering the local cultural and arts movement. The Muong gong teaching class also has another purpose with an important meaning, which is to expand the gong teams, promoting the spread and the inheritance. Therefore, the Organizing Committee has gathered students with diverse ages, including students from 10-15 years old.
Witnessing the students' confidence after the presentations at the closing ceremony of the Muong Gong teaching class, the members of the class organizing committee are all very happy, believing that they will become the nucleus to spread the spirit, the love and the value of Muong Gong to the same age group. And the female members and young people will also confidently build and replicate the nucleus, the clubs and the models to preserve and promote the cultural identity of Muong gongs. Stemming from here, the local government is more determined in preserving and expanding Muong gong training movement, associating Muong gongs with the movement of the local culture, art and sports. Especially, the value of Muong gongs in political and social events and the local festivals has been promoting.
In the coming time, the ward will select and build a gong team and special contents to attend the events of the Provincial Cultural and Tourism Week in 2019, being held in November in Hoa Binh City.
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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