The Lai Tay Thai script and its journey to becoming a national intangible cultural heritage.

Once on the verge of extinction, the Thai Lai Tay language and script in Nghe An province have now been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage, officially coded to become part of the global language.

Mr. Vi Kham Mun during a class teaching the Thai script - Photo: Dinh Tuan

Searching for the written language of the nation.

Mr. Sam Van Binh (61 years old), originally from Yen Luom village, Quy Hop commune, is probably a name very familiar to many people in his capacity as a teacher of the Thai language and a language researcher.

For nearly 30 years, Mr. Binh's footsteps have left their mark throughout the villages and hamlets, collecting and researching the Thai language, writing system, customs, and cultural identity. After many years of diligent research, he has become proficient in reading and writing, and has collected about 90% of the ancient Thai language. Mr. Binh emphasizes: "Without a written language, it is very difficult to maintain some customs. Therefore, teaching the Thai script is very important. As long as the Thai script exists, Thai culture will exist."

After many years of deliberation, Mr. Binh compiled a five-volume set of books on teaching the Lai Tay Thai script, organized by topic, published a Thai-Vietnamese dictionary (14,000 words), and published twelve volumes of "Eulogy from the Shaman." Mr. Sam Van Binh's works are not only linguistic achievements but also a vibrant cultural archive, contributing to the dissemination of national identity.

Sharing a common concern for the Thai language and writing system, countless elderly people in the mountainous villages of Nghe An province have been tirelessly collecting, preserving, and passing on Thai cultural heritage to their children as a way to hold onto their ancestral identity.

Mr. Sam Van Binh next to a set of textbooks for teaching the Lai Tay Thai script - Photo: TH

Mr. Vi Kham Mun (80 years old) from Xieng Lip village, Yen Hoa commune, Nghe An province, has also spent many years researching and compiling teaching materials for the Lai Pao Thai language. He also traveled throughout the villages collecting and translating proverbs, idioms, and folk tales of the Thai ethnic group to serve the teaching of the Thai language.

Between 2010 and 2020, Mr. Mun taught numerous classes, averaging about six classes per year, with hundreds of students in total. To facilitate his teaching, Mr. Mun painstakingly compiled a curriculum for teaching the Lai Pao Thai script, which students found easy to understand and convenient to learn. Mr. Mun explained: "Teaching the Thai script is not simply about teaching writing and reading, but also about passing on the rich cultural heritage of our people to the younger generation."

Meanwhile, Mrs. Sam Thi Xanh (66 years old), from Chau Tien commune, has also dedicated much effort to preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Thai ethnic group. She teaches both the ancient Thai script and traditional Thai songs such as "lam," "nhuon," and "lam vong," as well as gong and drum playing, creating a space where "learning is playing, and playing is learning." These "nhuon" and "lam" melodies have become a "specialty" of the village, attracting many tourists to visit and experience the Hoa Tien community tourism village on the banks of the Hieu River.

Artisan Sam Thi Xanh teaches the ancient Thai script - Photo: Lu Nghia

These Thai script classes are not simply about teaching a script, but also about fostering pride and a sense of cultural preservation within the community. And they – the elders of the village – are working towards having "Thai script in Nghe An" recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

From intangible cultural heritage to part of a global language.

Among the ethnic minorities in Nghe An, the Thai people account for over 50% of the population. Previously, the Thai script faced the risk of extinction, but it is now gradually being restored. The Thai script is widely used in two systems: Thai Lai Tay and Thai Lai Pao, and is applied in the culture, education , and traditional festivals of the mountainous communes of Nghe An.

Given the rich cultural heritage of the Thai language and script in Nghe An, on June 27, 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced Decision 2191/QD-BVHTTDL recognizing it as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. This affirms the value of the Thai language and script in Nghe An.

The Lai Tay Thai script, named Tai Yo, has officially been included in the latest update of Unicode® 17.0, released on September 9, 2025. - Photo: TH

And the Thai community in Nghe An continues to receive more good news, as the Lai Tay Thai script has officially been included in the latest updated version of Unicode (Unicode 17.0), becoming part of the global language in September 2025.

The process of getting the Lai Tay Thai script officially encoded and approved by Unicode through proposals took three years (2022-2025). The official encoding of the Lai Tay Thai script in Unicode marks a turning point, allowing the written heritage of the Thai people of Nghe An to transcend local boundaries and gain a stronger presence in the global digital landscape. Importantly, the 55 Lai Tay Thai characters will be displayed uniformly across all digital platforms, opening up a new trend of unlimited accessibility and eliminating the fear of being forgotten as before.

The written heritage of the Thai people of Nghe An has received its "passport" to enter the digital space, standing alongside hundreds of global languages. But the next step – integrating this script into daily life – is truly important. If this is achieved, the Lai Tay Thai script will transcend the boundaries of mere characters and become a cultural heartbeat for generations to come.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chu-thai-lai-tay-and-the-journey-to-become-a-national-intangible-cultural-heritage-2479810.html