Decorative art on costumes of Lao ethnic group in Dien Bien recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage

On November 8, the People's Committee of Dien Bien district held a ceremony to announce and award the certificate of National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Decorative Art on Lao Ethnic Costumes.

Previously, on April 9, 2024, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 952/QD-BVHTTDL announcing the list of national intangible cultural heritages, including the heritage "Decorative art on Lao costumes" in Dien Bien district and Dien Bien Dong district, Dien Bien province.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Bien district awarded the Certificate of recognition of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Decorative Art on Lao Costumes to the Lao ethnic community in two districts: Dien Bien and Dien Bien Dong.

The Lao ethnic group is one of 19 ethnic groups living together in Dien Bien province. Currently, the Lao ethnic group resides in 23 villages in 9 communes of Dien Bien and Dien Bien Dong districts. The decorative art on Lao ethnic costumes was formed and developed through the process of labor and production; it is the result of creativity of many generations, passed down and preserved among the people. The patterns on traditional costumes of the Lao ethnic group not only express the typical cultural values in the daily life of the people but also contain many profound lessons in life philosophy.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Dien Bien spoke at the Decision Announcement Ceremony.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism congratulated the Lao ethnic community and affirmed that today's event is not only the joy and pride of the Lao people, but also the common pride of the ethnic minority communities in Dien Bien. This is a scientific legal basis, not only affirming the attention of the Party and State to honoring cultural heritages but also promoting, propagating, preserving and developing intangible cultural heritages associated with local socio-economic development.

In order to promote and preserve the value of cultural heritage, in recent years, Dien Bien and Dien Bien Dong districts have opened training courses to preserve and promote traditional costumes of the Lao people. Along with that, trade promotion, advertising, brand development and market expansion for products from the Lao ethnic brocade weaving craft, such as: skirts, shirts, handbags, scarves, etc. Along with that, in Dien Bien and Dien Bien Dong districts, competitions were held to make costumes, embroider and weave brocade patterns, and perform costumes of the Lao people to introduce the beauty, value of traditional costumes, and the unique cultural identity of the Lao people.

Comrade Nguyen Thai Binh, Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Bien district, said that in recent years, local authorities and the Lao ethnic community in Dien Bien and Dien Bien Dong districts have always paid attention to preserving and promoting the traditional beauty of Lao ethnic costumes.

However, under the impact of modern life, cultural exchange poses many risks leading to the loss of cultural identity, therefore, at the event announcing and awarding the certificate of National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Decorative Arts on Lao Ethnic Costumes, comrade Nguyen Thai Binh suggested that Lao ethnic people in Dien Bien need to be more aware and determined to preserve the brocade weaving profession, preserve the beauty in each pattern on each product and item of the Lao ethnic community; at the same time, focus on teaching love and pride in national culture to the younger generation, people and tourists./.

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