Ninh Binh (VNA) -𝓀 The northern province of Ninh Binh has taken a series of measures to further promote and preserve the value of folk songs, dances, and music of the Muong ethnic group in association with tourism development.

Last year, provincial authorities issued a plan on preserving, restoring and promoting folk songs, dances and music of ethnic minority groups in tandem with boosting tourism for the 2022 – 2030 period, which is hoped to raise public awareness of the value and the importance of preserving these traditional art forms, especially those of the Muong ethnic group. Ninh Binh is home to nearly 30,000 ethnic minority people, most of them Muong people living Nho Quan district. Hoang Khac Tiep, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Nho Quan district, said the locality has paid special heed to preserving and promoting both tangible and intangible cultural values of ethnic minorities in the locality. The district has spent resources on restoring the traditional culture of Muong people, he noted. Every year, the People's Committee organises a cultural and sports festival of ethnic groups so that people can enhance exchanges through cultural and artistic activities, thus popularising typical cultural values and types of ecotourism and community-based tourism in the locality. For many years, local residents in Cuc Phuong commune have inherited the values of racial identity, which need to be preserved, such as Muong singing, folk games, gong performance, and local customs and habits. The locality has exerted efforts to restore and conserve the traditional cultural values of the Muong people. Since 2017, Muong love song singing clubs have been established. Attention has been also paid to preserving traditional costumes, and wedding and funeral rituals. Dinh Van Xuan, Chairman of the People’s Committee of the commune, said all the 10 hamlets in the commune have set up clubs of this kind. The communal People's Committee will continue to collect and conserve folk dances and love songs such as “rang xuong”, “bo meng” and “sac bua” The locality will also cooperate with secondary schools to teach 8th and 9th grade students melodies of love songs in Muong language, he added./.