HBO – The Xen Muong festival of the Thai ethnic group is held in early Spring to pray for good harvest, luck and safety. The festival is an occasion to introduce the original cultural values of the Thai to visitors, and also a place for young people to show off their talents in singing and Khen (panpipe) playing.
A shaman performs a ritual at the Bon Village temple during
the Xen Muong festival
Visitors to the festival
will have the chance to listen to the recital of an epic on the local Thai
ethnic group’s history from the early days they set up the villages. It is said
that Chieng Chau was the first place of settlement of the Thai group when they
migrated from Bac Ha (Lao Cai) in the 13th century. Through many ups
and downs, generations of Thai landlords deserved credit for leading locals in
reclaiming forest lands to set up villages. During the Later Le Dynasty, the
Thai landlord in Mai Chau made a great feat in fighting invaders from the
north, and was rewarded with the title "Tuoc hau dai tu khau truc trung hau”
(called in short Tuong Su by the Thai locals).
The Xen Muong festival
highlights the traditional cultural values of the Thai group. It begins with
rituals performed by a shaman, who must be a person respected by all in the
community. On the main stage, the shaman reads prayers in Thai language. He
then leads a procession taking the Tuong Su’s palanquin to the temple of Bon
village, followed by other worshipping rituals. The prayers reflect the adoration
and respect for Thai landlords who contributed greatly to the foundation of
Thai villages. The shaman serves as a bridge between generations of Thai people
with their ancestors.
The vitality of the Xen
Muong festival also comes from the originality of Thai culture and folk dances
and songs./.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Hoa Binh province continues to implement the expanded tourism development cooperation program plan of 8 Northwest provinces with Ho Chi Minh City; deploying digital transformation content in tourism and developing a smart tourism province. Hoa Binh province received about 3.6 million views, an increase of 7.9% over the same period. In which, international visitors are about 380 visitors, domestic visitors are estimated at 3 million 220 visitors.
Spanning thousands of hectares and winding gracefully along mountain slopes, hillsides, and riverbanks, the terraced rice fields of Lac Son District present a stunning and captivating beauty. This region, renowned for its remarkable terraced landscapes, is also the centre of Hoa Binh Culture known for numerous archaeological sites.
The life of Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district has improved much thanks to tourism development.
The man-made Hoa Binh Lake, with a water surface area of approximately 9,000 hectares and a capacity of 9.45 billion cubic meters, stretches over 200 kilometers from Hoa Binh to Son La provinces. With the goal of developing into a national tourism area, the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area is expected to not only become the largest tourism centre in the province but also one of the 12 key tourist destinations in the northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam.
Da Bia hamlet, now Duc Phong, in Tien Phong commune, Da Bac district, was once almost isolated from the outside as the only way to the hamlet was to get a boat ride across the Hoa Binh reservoir. However, as its tourism potential has been unleashed, the hamlet has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations on the tourism map. It has even received the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Awards in 2019.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province welcomed over 684 thousand visitors to visit and relax. In which, over 516 thousand domestic visitors and more than 168 thousand international visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 821 billion VND.
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