Having applied himself to researching and preserving traditional culture, Meritorious Artisan Bui Huy Vong in Huong Nhuong commune, Lac Son district, has won high regard from many people for his dedication to the Muong ethnic culture.
Meritorious Artisan Bui Huy Vong shares his journey to
research and preserve the Muong ethnic group’s culture.
Vong said researching and preserving the Muong
culture and bringing into play the good cultural values of ancestors in the
modern life is an arduous journey. However, thanks to support from district and
grassroots authorities as well as local artisans, he has obtained certain
achievements.
In particular, he has helped with the
restoration of some traditional festivals such as those of the Khenh Communal
House in Van Son commune, the Bang Communal House in Ngoc Son commune, and the
Khoi Communal House in An Nghia commune. He has written and published nearly 20
books, about 10 scientific articles on specialised magazines, along with
hundreds of articles, short stories, and research papers on central and local
media agencies.
Recalling difficulties and endeavours in the
restoration of local temples and festivals, Vong noted it took almost 10 years,
from 2001 to 2010, to rehabilitate the main hall of the Bang Communal House,
but it was not until 2016 that the Chay Dat - Chay Muong ritual of this site’s
festival was revived. Besides, it took up to 15 years, from 2003 to 2018, to
have the main hall and festival of the Khenh Communal House restored.
As the core zone of the Muong culture, Lac Son
district has also paid attention to revitalising the Muong ethnic singing. As a
result, the folk singing movement has become popular in the local community
over the last 10 years. Five clubs of "thuong rang” and "bo meng”, two types of
the Muong folk singing, have come into being, drawing more than 200 artisans.
Not only an artisan, collector, and researcher,
Vong is also one of the first person to post video clips about the Muong
singing on YouTube, attracting millions of viewers.
However, he is still concerned that many
valuable cultural heritages like the Vanh village stone shelter, the Trai
hamlet cave, Mo Muong, Muong gongs, as well as the customs and folk songs of
Muong people remain untapped. District authorities have just restored traditional
festivals and utilised the ethnic group’s space and cuisine for tourism
development.
Vong expressed his hope that the local Party
Committee and People's administration will hold regular meetings with artisans,
collectors, researchers, and those preserving the traditional culture. They
should create a space at major events and folk festivals for Muong singing
artisans in Lac Son, as well as those from across Hoa Binh province and other
localities, to engage in exchanges. In addition, it is important to pay more
heed to tourism promotion to bring into play the role of the local community
and artisans of the Muong culture.
Hoa Binh province has shown strong performance in family planning by effectively implementing directions and plans in the field, including Directive No. 12/CT-UBND issued by the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee on August 4, 2021 on rolling out measures to maintain the policy of each couple having two children, which is stated in community rules and the regulations of agencies, organisations, and units across the province of Hoa Binh for the 2021 – 2025 period.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended a hybrid conference on December 18 to review the culture, sport, and tourism sector’s performance in 2024 and launch key tasks for 2025. Standing Deputy Secretary of the Hoa Binh provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the provincial People’s Council Bui Duc Hinh, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Chuong and officials from local departments and sectors also took part in the event.
Hoa Binh’s Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism on December 18, hosted a conference to present the outcomes of a research study on the traditional costumes of the Muong ethnic group.
Along with the activities of Project 6 - the national target programme for socio-economic development in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas for the 2021 – 2026 period, efforts to preserve and promote the traditional cultural values of ethnic minorities in Lac Son district have received additional momentum.
In the context of globalisation and deeper integration, preserving and promoting the national cultural identity is of utmost importance. Aware of their pioneering and proactive role on all fronts, over the years, the youth organisations at all levels in Hoa Binh province have implemented various concrete and practical activities to preserve and promote the cultural identities of ethnic groups in the locality.