Preserving the Muong Ethnic Group’s Khai Ha Festival

The Khai Ha Festival has deeply permeated the spiritual life of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh. The festival has been preserved by the local community almost in its original form, retaining its traditional values and becoming an indispensable cultural and spiritual event for the Muong every spring.

The ritual procession of the National Mother Hoang Ba.

Having attended the Khai Ha Festival several times, we still vividly recall the atmosphere on the morning of the 8th day of the first lunar month. At the shrine in Luy Ai hamlet, a large number of locals gathered, including thay Mo (shamans), along with young men and women performing rituals of incense offering and the procession of the National Mother Hoang Ba to the stadium, where the main ceremony took place amid the resounding sounds of gongs and drums.

As in every year, thousands of locals and visitors came to witness the solemn rituals, during which the thay Mo prayed to heaven and earth for favorable weather, abundant harvests, and prosperity. Following the prayers, participants carried out the ritual of transplanting rice seedlings in the field.

After the ceremonial part came the lively festivities, with contests showcasing traditional Muong costumes, cultural performances, traditional sports competitions, antiphonal singing, as well as weaving and demonstrations of other Muong handicrafts.

The festival also featured exhibition booths displaying agricultural products, handicrafts, OCOP goods (One Commune One Product), as well as cultural and tourism products from localities across the province. Especially, the gong performance of 600 Muong artisans, local artists, and residents delivered a unique artistic display that left a lasting impression.

Shaman conducts the rituals at the Khai Ha Festival of the Muong people in 2025.

According to Mr. Bui Van Tinh, Secretary of the Party Committee of Muong Bi commune, the Khai Ha Festival of the Muong in Hoa Binh is the largest traditional festival of the Muong community. Closely tied to wet-rice agriculture, the festival bears strong imprints of ancient Vietnamese civilization.

This cultural and spiritual event is indispensable to the Muong people of Hoa Binh, especially those in the four major Muong regions: Bi, Vang, Thang, and Dong. The festival expresses reverence to the deities, commemorates the ancestors who pioneered land cultivation and established villages, and conveys prayers for fertility, prosperity, abundant harvests, and a peaceful, happy life.

Recognizing its profound meaning and value, in 2022, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially inscribed the Muong people’s Khai Ha Festival as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The resounding gongs echo through the Khai Ha Festival of the Muong people.

From 2023 to 2025, the Khai Ha Festival of the Muong has been organized on a provincial scale in Muong Bi commune. The festival is not only a spiritual heritage of the Muong people but also a unique tourism product of Hoa Binh. Particularly, after the merger of three provinces into the new administrative unit of Phu Tho, opportunities for collaboration in cultural promotion and tourism development have become even more promising.

Huong Lan