(HBO) – Bui Van Bui, a 84-year-old resident in Ru 5 hamlet of Xuan Phong commune (Cao Phong district), has a deep understanding about the tradition of the Independence Festival celebrations in Muong Thang area. The old man said he has been here for more than half of his life. Muong Thang is changing day by day with hills of orange-laden trees and endless green sugarcane gardens.
In the
IndependenceFestival, people in Muong Thang (Cao Phong district) traditionally play gongs
to show their happiness. Photo: A gong performance by members of the Tan Phong
commune women’s union.
It is a tradition that Muong Thang residents
hold celebrations of the National Day (September 2), also called the
Independence Festival. The sound of gongs and acclamation echoed through
mountains and forests when people took part in sports activities and folk games
and sang folk songs of the Muong ethnic minority group. This is a cultural
tradition of the Muong people since the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, which
is now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, was founded.
Muong Thang has been covered with a "new coat” -
the "coat” of prosperity. Overcoming difficulties at the time when it was newly
established, the Party Organization, administration and people of ethnic groups
in Cao Phong district have joined hands in capitalizing on local potentials and
advantages to successfully implement the resolutions of Party congresses at all
levels, along with socio-economic development targets and plans.
In 2016, per capita income in the district was
32.8 million VND (over 1,440 USD), 12 times higher than that at the time Cao
Phong was established. The economic structure is shifting in a positive manner
with the increasing proportions of industry-handicrafts and services and the
decrease of agriculture (agriculture and forestry make up 46 percent,
industry-handicrafts 28 percent, and services 26 percent). Meanwhile, nearly 30
billion VND (1.32 million USD) was collected for the State budget, equivalent
to 142 percent of the target set in the 2016 Resolution. Cao Phong has also
worked to optimize local potentials to develop commercial crop production. The
area of citrus fruit trees has expanded to more than 2,000ha, over 900ha of
which have borne fruits for sale with an estimated output of 23,000 tonnes and
an economic benefit of 600-800 million VND (26,400 – 35,200 USD) per ha.
This year, the Cao Phong district People’s
Committee organised cultural and art activities to celebrate the Independence
Festival. Since late August, local people have decorated all roads in their
hamlets and hung the national flags at their homes. These days, through
loudspeakers, the achievements and significance of the August Revolution in
1945 had been popularized. A number of folk games were held to serve people on
September 2.
In Dung Phong commune, people of different ages
wearing their most beautiful costumes came to the commune’s stadium from the
early morning of September 2 to participate in cultural activities marking the
Independence Festival. The entire commune became boisterous with cheers
supporting athletes in pole pushing, football and volleyball events.
Over the past years, a special celebration of
the Independence Festival in Dung Phong commune has been a cuisine fair which
attracted a large number of visitors. Each hamlet had a booth displaying local
agricultural delicacies. Muong ethnic women also showed off their skills by
making colourful dishes such as five-colour steamed sticky rice, steamed
vegetables and rice in bamboo tubes, adding joyfulness to the atmosphere of the
Independence Festival./.
In the afternoon of December 17, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized a summary and awarding ceremony for the Online Competition on preventing and controlling the Family Violence in 2024.
Implementing the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress to reach a health insurance coverage rate of 95% or more of the population, the Women's Union at all provincial levels has deployed the creative models and methods and effectively replicated them. These activities not only contribute to completing the social security goals, but they also spread the spirit of solidarity and sharing in the community.
Hoa Binh is carried out investment projects to upgrade three district medical centres in Lac Son and Yen Thuy districts and Hoa Binh city. The projects are funded by the central budget under the Economic and Social Recovery and Development Programme, aiming to improve healthcare services. The goal is to gradually develop a system of modern and quality district-level healthcare facilities.
To improve the cultural and spiritual life of the elderly, the associations for the elderly at various levels in Hoa Binh province have created many interesting and meaningful activities, attracting the participation of a large number of old people. These activities provide opportunities for them to improve both their physical and mental health, enabling them to live happily and healthily.
The pilot programme for sending Vietnamese workers to the Republic of Korea (RoK) for seasonal agricultural jobs continues under a collaboration between localities of the two countries, running for five years from January 1, 2022.
Staff of the Red Cross Society of Hoa Binh province were deeply moved by a meaningful and humanitarian act by Mr Vu Huu Lung, 86, in Hoa Binh city, to donate his corneas, which brought hopes to those yearning for the light. Before passing away, Lung left behind a noble wish to donate all of his organs, including his corneas, to help patients suffering from blindness and those in need of organ transplants to revive their lives.
