(HBO) - For more than two years, Muong Khoi folk singing club in Bai hamlet of An Nghia commune (Lac Son) has regularly organised singing during festivals, full-moon days or simply in meetings of its members.
A
meeting of the Muong Khoi folk singing club in An Nghia commune (Lac Son).
Bui Van Chinh, head of the club, said that the
club has 17 members. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the club was very active, as
its members often met and sang together on normal days, along with local
festivals. In addition, the club also organised exchanges with Muong folk
singing clubs in the district and Thanh Hoa and Ninh Binh provinces. Due to the
complicated developments of the pandemic, large gatherings are banned, so the
club members meet in small groups to maintain practice. Besides the Muong Khoi
folk singing club, Lac Son district also sees dozens of other clubs with
hundreds of members.
Thanks to the Resolution of the fifth plenum of
the eighth Party Central Committee (Session VIII) on preserving and promoting
national cultural identities, Muong folk singing has received more and more
attention, becoming a highlight in festivals, contests and mass art shows.
Many artisans who are dedicated to the ancient
Muong folk songs have collected, recorded, and posted videos on Youtube
channel. The most typical is artisan Bui Huy Vong in Huong Nhuong commune.
Artisan Vong said that each type of performance
has its own strengths. Today, going around the district’s villages, hamlets,
and fields, people can hear Muong folk singing on TVs, smart phones and radios.
Some families have invited artisans to sing at weddings, tomb-sweeping
festival, and housewarming parties. This proves that the love for Muong folk
singing is still very deep among local people. Muong people-living areas in
Thanh Hoa province are also excited when they invite Lac Son district’s Muong
folk singing clubs to exchange.
With regular activities, Muong folk singing
clubs are gradually bringing folk songs back to people's daily lives. These
models have also made an important contribution to the preservation and
development of folk songs, folk dances and the unique cultural identity of the
Muong ethnic community in Hoa Binh 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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