(HBO) – In spite of the change of the social life, Muong ethnic people in Hoa Binh province’s Lac Son district still consciously preserve unique cultural identities of the locality, especially folk songs, said Bui Van Nom, former Secretary of the district Party Committee.
Muong ethnic people in Lac Son exert efforts to preserve popular folk songs.
Nom, who is devoting himself to the collection and preservation of folklore culture
values of the nation, said Muong folk songs are becoming more and more popular in the daily life of the local community.
According to
folklore researcher Bui Huy Vong, Lac Son is considered to be the core zone of
Muong people in Hoa Binh province and their culture.
For a long
time, people here have considered Muong folk songs in general, and Thuong Rang, Bo Meng and Dum singing popular cultural
practices in the daily life. The singing styles have become the
intangible cultural heritage of the locality bearing cultural, historical and
human values.
Local people sing not only on the
occasions of weddings, new house celebrations, festivals, and cultural and
artistic exchanges, Muong folk songs are becoming more and more popular through
the lullabies, when men and women declaring their love to each other while working
in the fields and gardens.
In recent
times, Thuong Rang, Bo Meng and Dum singing has been organised in many
festivals, becoming the highlight in festivals and mass art contests in the
district.
Along with preserving the cultural identity of Muong ethnic people in general, the
local authorities have also paid attention to keeping and developing Muong folk
songs.
As part of efforts to preserve and promote this unique
cultural value, a number of folk singing clubs have been established, such as
Muong Khai and Muong Khoi in An Nghia commune, and Bai Chim in Tan My commune.
Some artists and those who are devoting
themselves to preserving Muong folk songs such
as Bui Thien, Bui Huy Vong, and Bui Van Nom, have organised over 30 performance
exchange programmes, counted over 300 artists singing folk songs, old Muong
songs, and stored nearly 1.000
GB of relevant video and audio data.
Fork song
artist Bui Van Tien in Song Khanh village of Tan My commune, who is head of Bai
Chim Club, said Bua, Rang, Vi and Dum singing styles of Muong people feature epics
and legends, reflect the daily life, customs and beliefs, and express the
desire for a prosperous life of Muong people in Hoa Binh.
The singing styles originated from the working life of the people and are handed downorallyfrom
generation to generation. Local people sing Muong folk songs in festivals of early spring.
Apart from Rang singing, the Muong people in Lac Son also retain Sac Bua
singing in in spring festivals, Nom said. The unique
culture of Muong people has been passed down through generations, bringing in a
strong and long-lasting vitality, becoming a cultural flow imbued with the
ethnic group’s unique cultural values. Muong folk
songs are on the way to be recognized as a national intangible cultural
heritage./.
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
Recognising the importance of cultural heritage preservation in protecting and promoting the value system of Vietnamese culture, and serving socio-economic development in the new period, Party committees and local administrations in Hoa Binh province have identified it as a key task in the cultural development strategy. The province has been making efforts in mobilising resources, creating consensus among people and engaging ethnic communities in preserving and promoting cultural identity.
Hoa Binh province has captured growing attention both domestically and internationally for its distinctive cultural heritage and rich history. Most notably, it has been renowned for its famous Hoa Binh culture, considered the cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilisation. Looking ahead to significant milestones in 2025 and the 140th anniversary of province establishment in 2026, Hoa Binh Newspaper presents a comprehensive overview of the province's development across economic, social, cultural, tourism, and security domains.
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