The People’s Committee of Hoa Binh held a meeting on November 9 to discuss the progress of the building of a national dossier on Mo Muong cultural heritage to submit to the UNESCO to seek the inclusion in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
The meeting was chair by Nguyen Van Toan, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and Standing Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee on the building of the national dossier on Mo Muong. It also drew leaders of the Music Institute under the Vietnam National Academy of Music (VNAM), the advisory agency of the project, and representatives from relevant agencies.
Nguyen Van Toan, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, addresses the meeting.
Mo Muong is a job and also a performance practiced at funerals, religious festivals, and life cycle rituals by the Muong ethnic minority group. Mo Muong has a long life, spanning centuries, as it has always helped to nurture the characteristics and the souls of the Muong people. It is the essence of labour, production, cultural behaviour and the philosophy of the Muong people, reflecting their love of life and home villages.
According to a report by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, so far all stép related to the building of the Mo Muong dossier have been implemented, including the formation of a steering committee, a committee for dossier building, along with the holding of surveys and seminars on Mo Muong, and meetings to discuss the plan and methods of building the national dossier on Mo Muong.
At the same time, the province has reviewed the inventory of Mo Muong heritage and collected commitments from the heritage-holding community. Ideas from researchers and heritage practitioners as well as culture management officials on the heritage have also been gathered, thus providing more information on the heritage for the building of a national dossier on the Mo Muong heritage. The province has also collected and recorded audio and video about Mo Muong cultural heritage, while organising international scientific conferences, compiling scientific documents, and conducting post-production documentary films about the heritage.
Participants at the meeting clarified steps to build the national dossier on Mo Muong to submit to the UNESCO, and analysed advantages and difficulties during the process.
Addressing the event, Nguyen Van Toan, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, underlined that the compiling of the dossier requires the cooperation with other provinces and sees many difficulties. However, with the joint efforts of departments, sectors and agencies, so far the dossier has been basically completed and is being perfected.
Right after the meeting, sectors and agencies with assigned tasks should strengthen their collaboration to promptly complete and accept the dossier and submit it to relevant authorities in line with regulations, he asked.
Xoe dance, an unique art form of the Thai ethnic minority group in Mai Chau district of Hoa Binh province has existed for a long time and passed down through generations. Xoe dance is not only a popular dance in the Thai community but also a unique cultural feature, an indispensable part in the Thai ethnic minority people's cultural and spiritual life.
The Bac Son pre-school in Hung Son commune, Kim Boi district is effectively implementing a model of preserving and promoting cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group.
Through ups and downs, many unique cultural features of the Muong ethnic minority group are facing risks of falling into oblivion. However, with a strong determination, Lac Son district of Hoa Binh province has deployed synchronous solutions to preserve and promote the locality's cultural heritage values.
If Tan Lac is considered the core of the cradle of Muong culture in Hoa Binh, Phong Phu commune is the cultural centre of Muong culture in Tan Lac district. Luy Ai hamlet in Phong Phu commune is where customs and traditions of Muong Bi are preserved. Luy Ai hamlet was chosen to build a space to preserve Muong ethnic culture. The district is seeking support from the province and coordinating with relevant agencies to devise a plan on preservation of Muong cultural spaces associated with developing tourism products and improving the lives of local residents.
Nguyen Manh Tuan, a Muong ethnic man in Ba Hang Doi town, Lac Thuy district, is known as a young, dedicated, and outstanding artisan who has made significant contributions in collecting, restoring, and preserving national cultural values.
The Government Office with Document No. 2082/VPCP-KGVX, dated March 29, 2024, sent out the opinion of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha regarding the submission of the "Mo Muong" and "Cheo art" dossiers to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
