Born in Phu Luu Commune, Tuyen Quang Province, home to a large Tay ethnic community, Phung Van Tien developed a special love for Then folk melodies and the sounds of the Tinh lute from an early age. What began as a childhood passion has grown into a commitment to teaching and promoting Then singing among young people through online classes.

Living in Ban May and Xuan Giang communes, the La Chi people have preserved hemp spinning and weaving as an integral part of their ethnic cultural heritage. From strands of hemp, through the diligent and skilful hands of women, lengths of fabric gradually take shape, forming traditional costumes characterised by rustic indigo hues and delicate patterns.

Amid the cloud-covered peaks of Tay Con Linh Mountain, the Co Lao ethnic community in Ta Chai Village, Tan Tien Commune, Tuyen Quang Province, continues to preserve a unique traditional agricultural ritual: licking a red-hot ploughshare. Beyond its mysterious spiritual elements, the ritual reflects the community’s aspirations for peace, prosperity and abundant harvests, while representing a distinctive part of its cultural heritage.

The 2026 Lung Tam Ethnic Cultural Festival, scheduled for October 24–25 at Na Sai Stadium, will provide an opportunity for the commune in Tuyen Quang Province to showcase its cultural identity, promote local products and connect cultural experiences with community-based tourism.

For more than two decades, entrepreneur Lai Quoc Tinh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of H’Mong Village Tourism Investment and Development JSC, has devoted himself to developing a tourism destination that showcases the cultural identity of the Mong ethnic group in the former Ha Giang Province. The project not only helps preserve traditional architecture but also creates jobs and livelihoods for local people while spreading humanitarian values throughout the community.

Amid the mountains and forests of Ban Peo, Nam Dich Commune, artisan Hoang Van Sinh continues to preserve the traditional wedge drum-making craft of the Red Dao ethnic group. Made without metal nails, these unique drums are crafted using rattan strips, cowhide and hundreds of small wooden wedges. They serve not only as musical instruments in traditional rituals but have also become distinctive products attracting tourists.

For nearly two decades of living and working on the Dong Van Karst Plateau, artist Nguyen Tuan Anh of the Meo Vac Commune Public Service Center has devoted himself to exploring, preserving and revitalizing traditional ethnic music. For him, each musical instrument produces more than a melody; it also carries the cultural stories and memories of a community.

Across the Dong Van Karst Plateau, rocks are everywhere. Stone rises into mountains, spreads across valleys and fills even the smallest patches of soil where local people plant maize. Yet there is one form of stone that is particularly distinctive and closely connected to everyday life: the stone fences surrounding houses, gardens and fields of the Hmong people.

Every September, Tuyen Quang comes alive with the vibrant atmosphere of the Thanh Tuyen Festival. This increasingly well-organized, large-scale cultural event attracts large numbers of residents and visitors. What began as spontaneous community lantern parades has gradually evolved into a distinctive cultural and tourism product, opening up new opportunities for the province to develop a cultural industry ecosystem.

A foot-washing ritual performed for brides before they cross the threshold into their husband’s home is a traditional wedding custom still preserved by the Red Dao people in Bo Ngoang Village, Minh Quang Commune. Though simple in form, the ritual reflects the care and hospitality of the groom’s family toward the new family member and conveys their wishes for a harmonious and peaceful married life.

In Khuon Then Village, Hung Duc Commune, amid a rapidly changing way of life, one can still hear a distinctive sound that has remained an enduring part of the community - the unique cultural heritage of the Cao Lan people. Sometimes melodious, sometimes exchanged between singers, these songs not only create a lively atmosphere during community cultural activities but also preserve the memories, customs, and spirit of a community that has been closely connected to this land for generations.

As the afternoon sun casts its glow over the stilt houses of the Tay people in Residential Group 14 – Lup Village, Ha Giang 1 Ward, the sound of the Tinh lute once again fills the air. This is the cultural space closely associated with Meritorious Artisan Nguyen Van Chu, who has spent more than half a century quietly preserving traditional Then melodies and Tinh lute music, contributing to safeguarding the Tay people’s cultural heritage amid the fast pace of modern life.

Amid the misty slopes of Linh Ho Commune, Ngoc Ha Village continues to preserve one of the distinctive sounds of Hmong culture - the khen, a traditional bamboo mouth organ. Meritorious Artisan Mua Mi Nam, born in 1984, has devoted much of his life to making, playing and passing on the traditional instrument, while bringing the sound of the Hmong khen to cultural enthusiasts at home and abroad.

The sound of Then singing and the gentle notes of the Tinh lute can be heard from early morning along the concrete road leading to Ao Rum hamlet, Tan Lap village, Tan Trao Commune. The traditional melodies come from a free Then singing and Tinh lute class run by Trieu Thi Lam Hanh, who has devoted herself to preserving and passing on the traditional art to younger generations.