(HBO) - In 2 days, March 6th and 7th, the fesstival of Ke pagoda in 2023 took place in Phu Vinh commune (Tan Lac).
The performance of Muong gongs at the festival.
The festival of Ke Pagoda is the first clearing ceremony of the year, according to the Muong language is "Le tha Cha chua”. The festival is a religious and community activity associated with wet-rice agriculture in order to return to the roots and express the gratitude to the Buddha and the village lords who have helped the people to build Ke ditch to bring water to the fields, teach the people to build the land and establish Muong area. It is also to wish for a year of favorale rain, the peaceful wind, which is full of happiness. The festival is also an opportunity for people to meet, exchange, tighten the solidarity and propagate the preservation and promotion of the national cultural identity in the customs and culinary life of the local people.
At the festival, the delegates and the local people had an opportinity to watch the concert of Muong gongs and the special cultural performances imbued with the national identity; visiting the stalls displaying the traditional handicraft products, the ethnic musical instruments and the cuisine. The festival organizing board organized the competitions in sports and folk games such as aray fighting, cotton ball throwing, stall dancing, swings, stilt walking, volleyball, etc.
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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