Many years ago, the Hmong people in Van Chan only preserved a part of their ethnic culture, such as ancestor worship customs and traditional clothing making; they had almost forgotten their written language. Therefore, the Hmong script faced the risk of disappearing. Recognizing this, the Van Chan commune government determined that preserving the Hmong language and script was not only a cultural task but also a duty to strengthen national unity and raise the intellectual level of the people. The commune concretized this by organizing classes to teach the Hmong language and script to the people in the area.
Recently, at the Giang B village cultural center, 50 Hmong students from various villages and hamlets gathered to learn to read and write the Hmong script. The person who "ignited" the learning of the Hmong script was Artisan Vang A Mang, a respected figure in the community.
In the class, students practice reading comprehension, sentence writing, paragraph writing, and interpreting short conversations. Throughout the course, the instructor constantly innovates teaching methods, combining theory with practice, encouraging students to exchange ideas and practice in groups, ensuring active and enthusiastic participation in every session. As a result, students have demonstrated a serious and eager learning attitude, attending all classes and actively participating in discussions and practice.
Mr. Mua A Hai from Kang Ky village shared: “Since childhood, I have always communicated in the Hmong language but didn't know how to write. One time, while watching a Hmong music CD given to me by a relative, I became interested in my ethnic group's writing system and wanted to learn it. From then on, I diligently studied online and recently participated in a Hmong language and writing class organized by the commune. It was difficult at first, but thanks to the dedicated guidance of the instructors, I can now read and write my ethnic script.”
Not only Hai, but all the students in the class completed the program after nearly three weeks of study, achieving a 100% success rate. Most students can now read, write, and use the Hmong language more confidently in their daily lives.
Currently, about 20% of the Hmong people in Van Chan commune can read and write the Hmong script, mainly the youth. People frequently use the Hmong script to exchange information with each other via social media platforms like Zalo and Facebook. Mua A Hai shared: “Seeing young people actively preserving their mother tongue and writing system makes me very happy. In the future, I will work with young people in the village and commune to help each other learn the Hmong script to preserve the beautiful cultural heritage of our ethnic group.”
Ms. Tran Thi Them, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Van Chan commune, said: "To continue maintaining and promoting the effectiveness of teaching the Mong ethnic language and script, the commune will continue to open similar classes in other villages in the commune. In addition, the locality will strengthen training and professional development for teaching artisans, helping them update modern teaching methods suitable for each group of learners. Furthermore, we will encourage outstanding learners to become core figures, further expanding the learning movement and contributing to the preservation and promotion of ethnic cultural identity in the locality.”
Teaching the Mong ethnic language and script not only helps preserve cultural values but also contributes to raising awareness and strengthening community bonds. When the language and script are preserved and used in daily life, the Mong people of Van Chan commune become even more confident in asserting their identity and working together to build a more prosperous, beautiful, and civilized homeland.
Source: https://baolaocai.vn/gop-phan-bao-ton-tieng-noi-chu-viet-dan-toc-mong-post886030.html
