As the Muong ethnic people make up more than 63% of Hoa Binh province’s population, joint efforts have been made to preserve the Muong language. The Muong community in the province now use both Vietnamese and their mother tongue daily with the latter preferred in communication in family life.
Students at a Muong language class.
In 2016, Hoa Binh province developed and officially put into use the Muong ethnic script which helps Muong ethnic children learn and use the Muong language – a way to preserve and promote national cultural identity.
According to folk culture researcher Bui Huy Vong, from Huong Nhuong commune, Lac Son district, the Muong ethnic script plays an important role in preserving the intangible cultural heritage of Mo Muong accurately, completely and scientifically.
Mo Muong is a job and also a performance practised at funerals, religious festivals, and life cycle rituals by the Muong ethnic group. The art consists of Mo prayers and performances, by Mo practitioners, or Mo artisans. Through generations, Mo prayers have been passed down verbally in the community.
Vong said that the script of Mo Muong can be used and translated into other languages to facilitate the establishment of scientific documents about Mo Muong. Moreover, with the scrips, the Muong language can live forever with other Muong cultural values. Seeing the fact that a group of the young generation of Muong people or local State employees doing mass mobilisation work cannot speak the Muong language, the provincial People’s Committee in 2019 approved a project on Muong language teaching and learning in the 2018-2025 period with a vision to 2035.
In 2023, Hoa Binh Pedagogical College opened Muong language classes for local officials, civil servants and public employees.
Do An, a student of a Muong language class, said that he now can speak Muong language which is useful for his work. Moreover, it helps him understand more about the customs and culture of the Muong ethnic group.
According to the 2024 - 2025 plan, the province’s Department of Education and Training will open other classes for 2,500 local officials, civil servants and public employees plus 2,500 teachers of schools across the province.
In addition, the province also pays attention to popularising and mobilising the community to preserve the Muong language, particularly through folk songs.
As part of Project 6 under the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in 2024, Lạc Sơn District, Hoa Binh province focuses on diverse and practical activities to promote the project's goal: "Preserving and promoting the beautiful traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in conjunction with tourism development."
After 3 years of implementing Resolution No. 04-NQ/TU, dated October 11, 2021 of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of Hoa Binh province's ethnic groups in the period of 2021 – 2025 with the orientation to 2030 (NQ04), it has mobilized the participation of the entire political system, the people from all walks of life and there have been positive changes. So far, out of the 10 targets of NQ04, 3 targets have been met and exceeded the plan set for 2025. Typically, 70% of the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of ethnic groups in the province is on the list of the national ICH items and they have been protected and restored, exceeding 20% of the proposed Resolution.
Great National Unity Day has been recently celebrated in Duong hamlet, Vay Nua commune, Da Bac district, in an atmosphere of warmth and community spirit. The event highlighted national identity and strengthened the bond of solidarity among residents.
On November 28, the People's Committee of Cao Phong district organized the Cultural and Sports Festival of Cao Phong district's ethnic groups in 2024.
