Spreading the beauty of Han Festival - National intangible cultural heritage

Art performance with graceful and charming dances of Muong So girls.

Muong So is considered the cradle of Thai culture that has been preserved and developed for generations. As a promise, in the second lunar month, under the budding leaves, white bauhinia flowers bloom with fragrance and color to welcome spring, that is also the time when Thai people in Muong So organize the Nang Han Festival.

Authorized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr. Tran Quang Khang - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism awarded the certificate of Nang Han Festival as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage to the leaders of Phong Tho district and Muong So commune.

Nang Han Festival is a beautiful spiritual and cultural feature in the life of the Thai ethnic group in Muong So in particular and of the Northwest region in general.

Delegates participated in the ceremony and offered incense at the Festival.

According to the legend, Han was the daughter of a Thai family. Han disguised herself as a man and led the army to fight the enemy, encouraged the soldiers to practice martial arts, stock up on food, set up battle formations and defeated the invaders. On the 30th of Tet, the invaders were defeated, Han and her soldiers returned. When they reached Nam Lum spring (now in Tay An village, Muong So commune), Han bathed and then flew to heaven on her horse. To commemorate her contributions to the soldiers, the people in the surrounding area built a temple right at the spring...

Delegates wash their hands and pray for health and luck at Nang Han spring.

Since 2007, the Nang Han Festival has been restored and maintained annually on the 15th day of the second lunar month, attracting a large number of people from all ethnic groups in and outside the region to participate.

Muong So beauty contest at Nang Han Festival.

The Nang Han Festival consists of two parts: the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony includes incense offering at Nang Han Temple. The festival includes an art competition; a Muong So beauty contest; a culinary competition; an exhibition of Thai ethnic space and OCOP products; a performance of Thai ethnic xoe dance and solidarity xoe hoop; a performance of the Kin lau khau mau festival; sports activities and folk games; and a practice of the Ap Ho Chieng festival.

Thai Muong So girls have shown their skillful beauty by weaving, preserving the traditional cultural beauty of the nation.

Comrade Dang Xuan Thanh - Chairman of Muong So Commune People's Committee, Phong Tho District said that on December 25, 2007, Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 2057/QD-UBND recognizing Nang Han Temple as a Provincial Monument; on February 19, 2025, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 326/QD-BVHTTDL recognizing Nang Han Festival as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Nang Han Festival is a specific activity in the work of preserving the fine cultural identity of ethnic groups associated with tourism development in the current period.

Culinary competition of villages, hamlets and units in Muong So commune with many rich, unique and attractive dishes.

The festival is also an opportunity for people of all ethnic groups to gather here to exchange culture, arts, and emotions, increase understanding, create conditions for cultural activities, arts, and folk games to develop, combine traditional culture with contemporary culture, contribute to building a joyful and healthy spiritual and cultural life for the people, promote the great national unity, unite together to build increasingly prosperous and beautiful villages, contribute to building and developing an advanced Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.

Kim Anh

Source: https://svhttdl.laichau.gov.vn/van-hoa-gia-dinh/phong-tuc-tap-quan-le-hoi/lan-toa-net-dep-le-hoi-nang-han-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-quoc-gia2.html