Meo Vac: Each person is a "living heritage" telling village stories

On the journey to Meo Vac, visitors can easily encounter folk rituals and traditional customs practiced by the locals right in the village. Without noise or show, the festivals here are an integral part of community life. The people are artisans, storytellers, creators and preservers of culture.

From the northernmost point of the country, amidst the sky-high grey cat-ear rocks, Meo Vac district (Ha Giang) is gradually awakening its tourism potential with the vibrant cultural values ​​of the community. Without dramatization or elaborate reconstruction, the festivals here still exist in daily life, simple, authentic and full of charm.

Lo Lo ethnic people practice the Rain Praying Festival at the Community House.  

In Meo Vac town, the Lo Lo ethnic people still regularly organize the Rain Praying Festival at the beginning of each planting season. The festival takes place right in the yard of the traditional community house, bearing the mark of agricultural and spiritual beliefs. From preparing offerings to ancient dances, sacred drum beats; all are performed by the people themselves, with faith and pride in their origins.

“Organizing festivals is a way for the younger generation to understand their ethnic origins, see the good and the beautiful, preserve and cherish them. Festivals help people bond more with their villages and each other,” said Mr. Lo Si Pao, Head of Sang Pa A village, Meo Vac town.

Not only the Rain Praying Festival, the Lo Lo people also preserve folk art forms such as bamboo dancing, bronze drum beating, folk singing... All are like an underground cultural stream flowing through each generation, nurturing the soul of identity in a sustainable and natural way.

  Phong Luu Khau Vai love market - a place where ethnic cultures converge and unique traditional rituals are preserved.

Meo Vac is home to more than 17 ethnic groups, each community bringing with it its own treasure trove of festivals, rituals and customs. Traditional festivals such as Gau Tao of the Mong people, sword dance of the Giay people in Nam Ban, or Phong Luu Khau Vai love market - where rocks also "bloom" have been contributing to naming Meo Vac on the map of Vietnam's cultural tourism.

Comrade Ngo Manh Cuong, Vice Chairman of Meo Vac District People's Committee, said: "We have clearly defined the direction, developing tourism associated with preserving cultural identity. We do not hold festivals for performance, but for tourists to live with the community, experience and feel the indigenous culture in the most authentic way."

From that vision, Meo Vac district has coordinated with the provincial departments and communes in the area to restore many ancient rituals that are gradually fading away, and build community tourism models associated with folk cultural spaces. Festival seasons in Meo Vac today not only have ceremonies but also festivals, where visitors can immerse themselves in folk games, enjoy highland cuisine , and visit traditional craft spaces.

Community cultural tourism villages are not only places to preserve customs, but also destinations with strong local experiences.

In the ethnic community cultural tourism villages such as Pa Vi Commune (Mong people), Meo Vac Town (Lo Lo people), Tat Nga Commune (Giay people)... tourists not only come to visit but also experience weaving, playing the flute, weaving linen, wrapping banh giay, and folk dancing. These real-life experiences make Meo Vac tourism not commercialized but still imbued with indigenous character.

Mr. Nguyen Truong Huy, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: "I was impressed not only by the landscape of Meo Vac, but also by being immersed in the cultural life of the people here."

From 2021 to now, the district has organized more than 20 folk culture teaching classes, inviting artisans to teach classes to restore ancient rituals, preserve voices, folk songs... This is not only an activity to preserve heritage but also a step to empower the community so that people can truly master the culture and master their own tourism development journey.

Festivals in Meo Vac attract tourists.

The way of doing things in Meo Vac is different in that: People do not do culture to serve tourism, but do tourism based on existing culture. Therefore, each festival does not become a "performance product" but lives with the rhythm of daily life. Each person is a "living heritage", each village is a "living museum"; where tourists come not only to see, but also to connect, to understand and to accompany the community.

Not following short-term trends, Meo Vac is taking its own path, a quiet but sustainable journey. Amidst the vast grey rocks, festivals light up national pride. Culture is lived in everyday life, not on display, that is when tourism becomes a journey accompanying the community.

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/meo-vac-moi-nguoi-dan-la-mot-di-san-song-ke-chuyen-ban-chuyen-lang-830392