Same word

In the Viet Bac provinces, the residents of Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan regions are blessed by nature with the "privilege" of drinking the same water from the Cau River. That river provides fish and shrimp products, fertile alluvium and forms a common cultural beauty. And the Then singing of the Tay and Nung people is considered a symbol of the cultural and spiritual life of the residents in the Viet Bac region.

Happy then festival.

Both are ethnically diverse regions, but Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan both have the following main ethnic groups: Kinh, Tay, Nung, San Diu, Mong, Dao, San Chay, Hoa. The ethnic groups live together in harmony, creating a "flower garden" with brilliant brocade colors. That "flower garden" stretches from Pu Mo in the Bang Van - Ngan Son area bordering Cao Bang province to Phu Loi in the Thuan Thanh - Pho Yen area bordering Hanoi city. Each ethnic group has its own language, customs, and traditional costumes, but always has a spirit of great national unity.

Speaking of “river civilization”, along the Cau River, Bac Kan is the source, and Thai Nguyen is a part of the source of that river. The two regions have erased their administrative boundaries, and people’s hearts are closer to each other. At the beginning of Spring, people of all ethnic groups join in the festival to pray for good crops, national peace and prosperity. The unification of the two regions into the new Thai Nguyen province is likened to a “cultural reunion”, where the common values ​​that have long existed in the lives of the residents in the region are now consolidated and spread more strongly.

Typically, the Gau Tao Festival of the Mong ethnic group; the Coming of Age ceremony of the Tay, Nung, Dao, San Chay, San Diu ethnic groups are more joyful and warm because people from two regions come together. Being “one family”, geographical distance does not affect traveling, visiting relatives and participating in common activities of the ethnic community.

Provincial officials and artists study and research the cultural beauty of ethnic minorities in Cho Don countryside.

The participation of the community, especially the artisans of ethnic minorities, is a “living treasure”. Artisans are the ones who preserve and transmit the unique cultural beauty of their people.

Since July 1, the merger of the two regions has created a great cultural resonance. Thai Nguyen province officially has more than 750 intangible cultural heritages, nearly 200 festivals at all levels; 3 People's Artisans, 19 Meritorious Artisans in the field of intangible culture.

Despite differences in terrain and local cultural nuances, Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan have many similarities. The exchange between ethnic communities has created a colorful yet harmonious cultural space, unified in diversity.

Although life together is still difficult, especially with the migration and nomadic farming of the past, ethnic groups still preserve and pass on their languages, customs and practices that their ancestors left behind for thousands of years. And to become stronger, ethnic groups find a common language for exchanging, sharing, buying and selling, and unifying work in the community.

Currently, in these two lands, there are thousands of cultural and artistic clubs at all levels, including the people's Then singing club. It is called the people's Then singing because in recent years, the Tinh lute and Then singing have become the needs of many people who love singing.

Not only the Tay and Nung people, but also the Mong, Kinh and many other ethnic groups in the community also like to pluck the strings to sing Then songs.

In particular, since 2019, “Then practice of the Tay, Nung, Thai people in Vietnam” has been officially recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This is not only a source of pride, but also a testament to the shared values ​​between the two lands of Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan.

Then singing, the pride of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups in Viet Bac.

In preserving, transmitting and promoting cultural quintessence, each ethnic group has its own strengths. But there is one thing in common in festivals, rituals and singing performances, besides the meaning of love exchange, it is also the way for people to interpret the world around them; express their thoughts, feelings and wishes to the invisible world, hoping for peace.

Along with the sounds that carry the soul of the Viet Bac mountains and forests, Cuisine also carries the language of the common life between the people of the two regions of Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan. Simple dishes such as bamboo rice, sesame salt, five-color sticky rice, smoked pork, mugwort cake, grilled stream fish, wild banana salad, bamboo shoots stuffed with meat... are specialties present on the dinner tray to invite your guests. These dishes not only reflect the ingenuity and sophistication of women, but also have a ritual character associated with spring festivals, new rice celebrations and happy events in the family.

The interesting thing between the two regions of Thai Nguyen and Bac Kan is that they both have specialty plants that are aiming for billion-dollar value and are being effectively exploited. Thai Nguyen with the small-leaf midland tea region in Tan Cuong - Bac Kan with the Bang Phuc Shan Tuyet tea region. The tea of ​​the two regions is evaluated by scientists to have high talinity content; connoisseurs who have enjoyed tea from these regions are nostalgic and return, both to witness with their own eyes the quintessential products bestowed by heaven and earth, and to buy a pot of Thai Nguyen tea as a gift for relatives.

The cultural similarities between Bac Kan and Thai Nguyen are not only a manifestation of identity, but also a potential for sustainable development. Therefore, the merger of the two provinces under the common name of Thai Nguyen province is like brothers coming into one family, eliminating the invisible distance in people's hearts.

People of all ethnic groups unite to build a civilized and prosperous homeland.

Ethnic people, especially ethnic minorities, have better opportunities to preserve, transmit and spread their ethnic cultural identity more widely. This is also an opportunity for ethnic groups to raise awareness of joining hands to build, develop and multiply common cultural beauty in the community, creating unity and connection in the community, creating a comprehensive strength for the whole people in socio-economic and cultural development, firmly consolidating security and order in the province.

In the era of technology and urbanization, the merger of the two provinces is not only of administrative significance, but also a historical cultural reunion. It opens up more opportunities for the ethnic groups in Thai Nguyen province to promote the spiritual and cultural values ​​of their nation, contributing to making Thai Nguyen stronger, going further and integrating more deeply into the flow of Vietnamese culture.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202507/chung-mot-loi-then-8940518/