Phu Dinh - A place where the essence of national culture converges.

Phu Dinh commune is known throughout the country for the beautiful cultural features of the ethnic groups in the Viet Bac region. In mid-December this year, this area became a hub for cultural excellence as the province selected it as the venue for the 2025 Traditional Ethnic Groups Cultural and Artistic Exchange Festival. This event not only contributes to spreading and promoting unique cultural values but also clearly affirms Phu Dinh's position on the cultural map of Vietnamese ethnic groups.

Báo Thái Nguyên•09/12/2025

Dao ethnic people performing a dance while going to the fields. Photo: Phan Vu

Enduring like the hearts of the people of Northern Vietnam

Phu Dinh commune has nearly 2,900 households and over 11,700 inhabitants, comprising 11 different ethnic groups living together in 24 hamlets. The Tay, Kinh, San Chi, and Dao ethnic groups make up the majority. Throughout history, the people of these ethnic groups have lived with integrity, compassion, and unity in building their homeland.

Particularly in preserving the beautiful customs, traditions, and way of life of the ethnic groups, even during the most difficult times, generations of people have always cared for, passed down, preserved, and promoted these values. Therefore, the beautiful traditional cultural features of the ethnic groups have not faded away, but have been nurtured, becoming a source of pride and creating a diverse yet unified cultural space, rich in convergence and enduring, just like the spirit of the people of Viet Bac.

Sharing with us, Mr. Phung Van Dang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Dinh commune, said: "To prevent the fading of the beautiful cultural features of ethnic minorities, the local government always pays attention to the work of preserving, transmitting, maintaining, and promoting their values. The local government always encourages and facilitates the participation of ethnic minorities in club activities; integrates cultural preservation with socio-economic development programs, and encourages artisans to collect and pass on the finest cultural traditions to the younger generation."

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The unique cultural beauty of each ethnic group is most clearly expressed through their language and writing system. The differences between ethnic groups are easily recognizable in everyday life through their traditional clothing, folk songs, and farming tools. Even in modern society, where current events on the farm and in the fields often mention market mechanisms and digitalization, the roots of each ethnic group lie in their distinct cultural beauty, unmixed and unhybridized. This affirms the existence and development of each ethnic group with its own unique identity within the shared home of Thai Nguyen province.

The palm forests, tea hills, green rice paddies, and the clear, joyful streams still remain, awaiting the arrival of countless people to the festival. A radiant excitement shines on everyone's faces. The mountains and forests of Phu Dinh awaken with the villages to welcome the Mong, Dao, Tay, Nung, San Diu, and San Chay people from the lands surrounding Phja Khao, Phja Bjooc, Tam Dao, and along the Cau and Cong rivers.

From Phu Dinh, folk songs resound.

Then singing and Tinh lute playing: the quintessential cultural identity of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups in Northern Vietnam. Photo: Phan Vu

Within the rich cultural heritage of the ethnic groups of Thai Nguyen province, each group is filled with pride in its unique cultural beauty. However, there are commonalities that serve as a bridge between heaven, earth, and the hearts of the people. This is clearly demonstrated in their rituals, particularly in prayers for peace and a bountiful harvest.

Ms. Duong Thi Hien, Chairwoman of the Phu Dinh Commune Literature and Arts Association, enthusiastically stated: "In recent years, the ethnic minority communities in the region have shown a sense of responsibility towards the exquisite cultural heritage of their people. Artisans actively collect, preserve, and pass on this heritage to future generations. Through this, many beautiful cultural traditions rich in ethnic identity have been restored, passed on, and their value promoted."

Then, for example, the folk songs and stringed instruments of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups invite people to the festival. In the long winter nights, the Soọng cô songs of the San Diu ethnic group warm the hearts of people. The smooth sình ca melodies of the San Chay ethnic group are sung sweetly like the rustling of a thousand leaves, easing the worries of everyday life. And then, the whispered páo dung songs of the Dao ethnic group remind the younger generation of their origins and roots.

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Ms. Hoang Thi Hau, the leader of the Khuon Tat hamlet's performing arts group, said: "The members of the group are from various ethnic groups living in the area. Most are elderly, but everyone is enthusiastic. The Dao people can also sing then songs and play percussion instruments; the Tay people also participate in the songs and dances of the Dao people." Also present, Ms. Trieu Thi Than proudly said: "I consider myself a core member of the performing arts group, so in addition to practicing folk songs and dances of my own ethnic group, we also practice thoroughly some songs and skills in using musical instruments of other ethnic groups in the region so that we can later teach them to the younger generation."

In modern society, ethnic minority communities still preserve the beauty of their traditional culture. Along with folk dances, initiation rituals, and harvest prayers, there are also crafts such as brocade weaving, indigo dyeing, and leaf glaze making. A vast cultural treasure is being distilled, passed down, and increasingly spread among ethnic minority communities, becoming a spiritual symbol and a source of pride for each ethnic group, affirming its existence and sustainable development in the future.

The unique cultural beauty of each ethnic group is as beautiful as a flower, brought by people from various regions of the province to Phu Dinh to participate in the Traditional Ethnic Groups' Cultural and Artistic Exchange Festival, creating a vibrant garden of colors, from which the folk melodies of the ethnic groups spread and resonate far and wide.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202512/phu-dinh-noi-hoi-tu-tinh-hoa-van-hoa-dan-toc-48d2407/