Promoting the Beauty of Traditional Folk Games in the Muong Vang Community

Not only a folk game loved by the Muong community, danh mang and traditional wrestling have become unique sports that are maintained and developed alongside local competitions. Notably, in the Muong Vang region, such as Lac Son, Quyet Thang, Muong Vang, Ngoc Son, Nhan Nghia, and Dai Dong communes, these games have grown in popularity.

Women from Muong Vang commune practice danh mang – a traditional ethnic sport and an engaging folk game.

In the recent two editions of the district-level Sports Games, the Muong Vang region introduced traditional wrestling and danh mang as official competition events. Mr. Bui Van Duong, Chairman of the Thuong Coc Commune People’s Committee, stated: "Incorporating these two ethnic sports into the competition program is a practical and concrete solution to restore cultural heritage and to encourage the movement of “All people exercise their bodies following the great example of President Ho Chi Minh,” especially in areas with a large population of ethnic minorities."

Dong mang, made from forest materials, is used as equipment in the danh mang sport.

Since being included in the competition program of the Sports Games, danh mang has received great support and attracted active participation and encouragement from the local people. The women’s danh mang competition follows a team format, consisting of 8 events in 1 round (1 match), including: throwing the dong mang; rolling the dong mang; sitting to shoot the dong mang; stepping the dong mang (placing the dong mang on the top of the foot and stepping from the starting line into the opponent’s dong mang); jumping over (placing the dong mang on the foot and jumping to the boundary line); pushing the ground (placing the dong mang in front of the foot and using foot power to push it past the boundary); jumping (pinching the dong mang between the toes and jumping accurately onto the opponent’s dong mang); and balancing (placing the dong mang on the foot and performing a motion to send it towards the opponent).

Traditional wrestling (De Kha) has been included in the competition program of the Sports Games in Muong Vang communes.

As for traditional wrestling, the Muong ethnic group has long considered it a folk game that embodies martial spirit and high physical endurance. The Muong Vang community also refers to this sport as de kha.

Within the framework of the competition, de kha includes individual events for men, divided into 3 weight categories, with matches being fought for personal titles. The rules of the competition are based on the Muong ethnic wrestling regulations, with each round lasting up to 4 minutes, played in 3 rounds. The athlete who wins 2 rounds will be declared the winner. If an athlete is more than 5 minutes late compared to the scheduled time, they will be considered to have forfeited and will lose by a score of 0-2.

The folk game attracts a large number of local people and tourists who come to watch and cheer during the Truong Kha Temple Festival in Lac Son commune.

Mr. Bui Van Khanh, Chairman of Lac Son Commune People’s Committee, emphasized: "Muong ethnic danh mang and Muong ethnic wrestling are unique and special sports. These games, played during the first days of the lunar new year and festive occasions, not only enrich the spiritual life of the people, boost morale in production activities, but also provide opportunities to improve health, preserve traditional culture, and further enhance ethnic cultural identity. Previously, sports like day gay (wrestling), ban no (crossbow shooting), and keo co (tug of war) were all developed from folk games of the Muong community."

Bui Minh