Hoa Binh province has paid due attention to preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic minority group and the Hoa Binh Civilisation (Hoabinhian) – a valuable heritage of the country and the mankind.
At the exhibition on the Hoa Binh Civilisation.
Various documents were issued to direct the preservation and promotion of the values of the Hoa Binh Civilisation, while the state management over archaeological sites related to the culture has attained important achievements.
According to Director of the Hoa Binh Museum To Anh Tu, the province is now home to 87 relic sites having relations to the Hoa Binh Civilisation, ten of which was recognised as national relic sites, while many have become popular tourist sites like the stone roof of Vanh village in Lac Son district, and Cho cave in Luong Son district.
The values of the local heritages have been brought closer to the public, particularly researchers and students, from far and wide as the province has organised various mobile exhibitions in Hanoi, and Thai Nguyen and Hung Yen provinces.
Particularly, two seminars held in 2017 and 2022 to mark the 85th and 90th anniversaries of the world recognition of the Hoabinhian drew the participation of many domestic and international scientists, and cultural heritage managers, affirming the significance of the standout values of the archeological site in the locality to the study of the Hoabinhian in Vietnam and the world.
However, as the preservation work has faced formidable challenges, several Hoabinhian relic sites have been destroyed, while many have not received adequate investment to serve research and tourism purposes.
Dr. Nguyen Van Viet, Director of the Centre for Southeast Asian Prehistory, suggested the province pay due attention to training human resources to build a museum on the Hoa Binh Civilisation, and rank all of the uncovered relic sites.
Under a project to preserve and promote the values of the Muong ethnic culture, and the Hoabinhian for the 2023-2030 period, Hoa Binh is focusing on building planning schemes for outstanding Hoabinhian relic sites, including the renovation of the national special relic site of Trai hamlet cave and stone roof of Vanh village, and promoting scientific research for, and restoration of Hoabinhian relic sites with the support of domestic and international specialists.
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.