(HBO) - Over their long history, the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh has created and preserved a rich and diverse folk culture, in which the Mo Muong is a prominent and unique one that has profound human values. Generations of Muong people have passed down Mo Muong verbally, giving vitality and popularity to this special intangible cultural heritage.
Shaman Bui Hong Bao in Tan
Lac district’s Phong Phu commune performs a Mo ritual.
Mo Muong is a rite of reciting Mo (poetry) during rituals of the Muong
people, in which the Thay mo (shaman) plays the main role. The shaman knows by
heart not only tens of thousands of lines of Mo but also traditional
rituals and customs. In Muong society, the shaman is an intellectual and a
reputable person in the community.
Mo Muong recitations are part of 23 Muong rituals, including funerals, in
which tens of thousands of Mo lines are recited throughout 12 days and
nights, which demonstrates the essence and core values of the Mo tradition.
Currently, there are many collections of Mo versions, of which three main ones
have been published.
In order to well preserve and promote the intangible cultural heritage, the
provincial Party Committee has issued many important documents in the field of
culture, which identify Mo Muong as one of the heritages that need to be
preserved and promoted.
The provincial People's Committee has established a Steering Committee for Mo
Muong Hoa Binh and built a plan to make a scientific dossier on Mo Muong which
will be submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to seek
recognition of Mo as part of the national heritage, looking toward seeking
recognition as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
In 2018, the provincial People's Committee approved two projects on preserving
and promoting the typical intangible cultural values of the Muong ethnic group
in the 2018 - 2030 period and preserving and promoting the values of Mo Muong
Hoa Binh cultural heritages in 2019 - 2025 periods and the following years.
Party committees, authorities and relevant agencies have carried out
synchronously solutions to protect and promote the value of cultural heritage
in general and Mo Muong heritage in particular in a scientific manner. They
have also popularized the value of heritage, thereby raising awareness and
responsibility in jointly protecting cultural heritages among local residents.
The People’s Committee of Lac Son district held a ceremony on April 28 to receive the provincial relic certificate for the ancient rock carving site at Suoi Co stream, located in My Thanh commune.
A special music show titled "The country is in the fullness of joy” has been held at Hoa Binh Square in Hoa Binh city in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975–2025).
The People's Committee of Lo Son commune, Tan Lac district, has organised the local annual traditional stream fishing festival on April 19 - 20.
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.
