Part 1: Preserving village traditions and the spirit of the countryside.

During the rapid urbanization process, the implementation of the new rural development criteria, including cultural criteria, has helped to ensure that the unique cultural characteristics of rural villages, preserved over thousands of years, not only remain vibrant in modern life but also receive the impetus and favorable environment for their restoration and development.

Preserving traditional festivals - a beautiful aspect of rural culture.

With its geographical location, topography, and population, Thai Binh is a place where the cultural and civilizational nuances of the Northern Delta region converge and spread. The precious traditional beauty in its culture, both past and present, has become an important factor, creating internal strength and a great spiritual motivation in the emulation movement to jointly build advanced and model new rural areas in the 2021-2025 period.

Passing on the message left by our ancestors.

Tam Duong village, Tien Duc commune (Hung Ha district), is a sacred land, historically known as Tinh Cuong Huong and Thai Duong ward. In the twelfth year of the reign of Emperor Thanh Thai, it was divided into three villages: Thai Duong, Phu Duong, and Ngoc Duong. After the August Revolution of 1945, they were re-merged and renamed Tam Duong village, a name it retains to this day. As a first-class administrative unit of Tien Duc commune – an advanced new rural commune in 2021 – Tam Duong village has strengthened education and promoted traditions through the management of historical sites and the organization of festivals, contributing to the development of the people's cultural and spiritual life, meeting the requirements of building an advanced and model new rural area.

Mr. Le Van Vu, Party Secretary and Head of the Village Front Committee, informed: With a rich historical tradition, the officials and people in the village always have a sense of responsibility to preserve, protect, and promote the historical and cultural values of this land. Besides participating in the Tran Temple Festival, a national intangible cultural heritage, the villagers also preserve the traditional Giao Cha Festival, which is over 700 years old. Building a cultural life in the residential area is linked to spiritual and cultural activities, serving as a driving force in achieving cultural criteria.

Preserving the art of Cheo (traditional Vietnamese opera) is linked to the traditional festivals of rural villages.

Having achieved the advanced New Rural Area status in 2021, and inheriting and promoting the traditions of a revolutionary homeland, the Party Committee, government, and people of An Khe commune (Quynh Phu district) are striving to overcome difficulties and working together to build a more prosperous homeland. In particular, historical relics and folk games associated with village festivals are being preserved by all levels of the population.

Mr. Vu Ngoc Son, Head of An Quy village, An Khe commune, shared: "An Quy village communal house is a place of worship for three revered deities, including Princess Que Hoa, General Tran Quoc Tuan (Hung Dao Dai Vuong), and Duke Vu Sung Khe - who spearheaded the restoration and renovation of An Quy communal house. As far as we know, many historical events took place at the communal house, such as being a place for distributing food to the people; a gathering place for people from various villages under the red flag with a yellow star; and a place to bid farewell to the villagers who went to participate in the resistance war... Evidence of these historical milestones is still preserved at the communal house today. Thanks to the collective efforts of the people, in 2016-2017, An Quy communal house was renovated and restored with five main halls. The communal house is not only a place for cultural and spiritual activities but also serves as a common home for the villagers."

In November 2023, with its historical and cultural value, An Quy communal house was one of 10 relics honored to receive the provincial-level relic ranking certificate.

Mr. Pham Hong Thai, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Phu District, shared: "Currently, the district has 19 national-level historical sites and more than 90 provincial-level historical sites. During the process of building new rural areas, each citizen is proud of their village culture, demonstrating the preservation and promotion of heritage values by all levels of the population. After An Quy communal house was classified as a provincial-level historical site, the locality focused on managing and promoting the value of the site. With activities in the traditional festival held annually, the people are always the creative subjects and beneficiaries of cultural values, thereby contributing to enhancing the spirit of solidarity in the residential area, promoting the movement of all people uniting to build a cultured life and protect historical sites sustainably."

Innovation stemming from traditional cultural values.

With its rich historical and cultural traditions, the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of the province is an important component of the cultural heritage treasure, carrying messages from the past passed down from generation to generation. Based on this tradition, successive generations create and innovate new cultural values.

The younger generation joins hands to preserve the culture of their homeland in traditional festivals.

In 2023, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized the first ever competition for writing scripts for traditional Vietnamese opera (cheo) plays and songs, attracting hundreds of entries from authors both within and outside the province. Among the participants were authors who submitted multiple works in both the play and song categories, demonstrating their love, pride, and desire to contribute to promoting the cultural identity of their homeland. Many works possessed significant artistic and thematic value, praising the historical, cultural, and revolutionary traditions, as well as the achievements in the renewal process of the Party Committee and people of Thai Binh.

Winning third prize in the short play script competition for the traditional Vietnamese opera (cheo) with her work "My Village Festival," author Nguyen Hong Van said: "My passion and love for cheo have become ingrained in my blood. Some authors, even those over 70 or 80 years old, still diligently dedicate themselves to grassroots culture, composing and participating in mobile propaganda teams. Traditional performing arts groups, especially in villages, desperately need cheo works that reflect contemporary life to widely disseminate the Party's guidelines and policies, and the State's laws to all segments of the population. During the process of building new rural areas, many cheo songs and short plays about familiar and practical stories have been composed and staged. Through enjoying traditional cheo art, people are more actively participating in emulation movements."

Following the success of the competition, more than 30 winning works in various categories have been edited, published, staged, and performed throughout the province, contributing to promoting the image of Thai Binh's land and people in the process of renovation, while also creating a space for the dissemination of traditional art. The preservation and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in the province not only safeguards the beauty of the countryside but also contributes to the successful implementation of criteria for inheriting and effectively promoting traditional cultural values in building advanced new rural areas.