With his love for traditional musical instruments, at the age of over 60, artisan Hoang Van Vien, Gieng Xa hamlet, Cu Yen commune (Luong Son), still maintains his passion and enthusiasm. He actively participates in performing folk songs and dances, and teaches Muong gongs to younger generations with a desire to preserve and promote traditional cultural values.
Artisan Hoang Van Vien, Gieng Xa hamlet, Cu Yen commune (Luong Son), cleans his Muong gongs.
A Muong ethnic member, Vien started learning to play Muong gongs in 1981 and since then, he has always been enthusiastic and passionate about the Muong ethnic culture, regularly participating in cultural programmes. He is often invited to folk performances on major holidays and competitions in the district and province.
To preserve the beauty of the traditional culture, he has taught many others in his village on how to play Muong gongs. Vien shared that Muong gongs are the soul of the ethnic group’s music. "We place into it the optimistic spirit and life philosophies of our people. With gongs, we can play solo, in chorus and use them in love songs, folk songs and dances... I want to preserve and pass them on to younger generations so that the ethnic cultural identity is not lost.”
Over the recent years, Cu Yen has strengthened the management, preservation and promotion of Muong ethnic cultural values, including language, customs, beliefs, cuisine, and costumes. It has encouraged all people to participate in building and developing an advanced culture imbued with national identity. Currently, the commune has two Muong gong teams with three sets of gongs and 36 pieces.
Bui Dinh Luan, Vice Chairman of the commune People's Committee, said that in order to preserve and further promote the cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group, the committee regularly organises cultural exchange activities; commends units that care about preserving ethnic cultural traditions; and promotes the role of village elders in teaching the beauty of ethnic culture to the younger generations.
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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