Cultural village in the highlands amidst white clouds.

Nestled among the myrtle hills in the Myrtle Conservation Area of ​​Hong Thuong commune are traditional houses (moong and gươl) rising majestically against the blue sky and white clouds. This is a remarkable achievement from the Project to build Traditional Cultural Villages of Ethnic Minorities in A Luoi district, under Project 6 of the National Target Program 1719, which has been and is being implemented in the ethnic minority areas of Thua Thien Hue province.

Leaders of A Lưới district at the inauguration ceremony of the Cultural Village.

A village that preserves cultural heritage.

The Traditional Ethnic Minority Cultural Village Project in A Luoi District (hereinafter referred to as the Ethnic Minority Cultural Village), with the A Luoi District People's Committee as the investor, is being built in the Sim Conservation Area in Hong Thuong Commune. The village is being constructed on an area of ​​5 hectares, with a total investment of nearly 20.8 billion VND from the National Target Program for Socio -Economic Development of Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas, giai đoạn 2021 - 2030, phase 1 from 2021 - 2025 (National Target Program 1719). The project was approved in July 2022 and construction began in May 2023.

After 18 months of construction, on September 6, 2024, the Ethnic Minority Cultural Village of A Luoi District was inaugurated and put into operation. Located amidst picturesque sim flower hills, the village comprises a community center and three traditional houses of the Pa Co (a local subgroup of the Ta Oi ethnic group), Ta Oi, and Co Tu people. Cultural identity is reflected in the landscape, architecture of the gươl house, rông house, and moong house of the Pa Co, Ta Oi, and Co Tu people.

The village was built and put into operation to preserve and promote the cultural values ​​and traditional festivals of ethnic minority communities in Thua Thien Hue province, meeting the cultural exchange needs of locals and tourists. It also serves as a place to recreate daily life, customs, cultural festivals, and preserve traditional crafts such as weaving and zèng weaving, along with the folk knowledge of ethnic minority communities, contributing to socio-economic development and aiming for sustainable poverty reduction.

Mr. Le Quang Vinh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hong Thuong commune, A Luoi district, said: "The Ethnic Minority Cultural Village of A Luoi district is being built in Hong Thuong commune. The government and people of Hong Thuong, together with the people of A Luoi district, will both preserve the rich traditional cultural values ​​of ethnic minorities and develop tourism in the area."

Since August 2024, many tourist groups have visited, checked in, and participated in the traditional festivals recreated at the Village. Ms. Ho Thi Thuy, a Pa Co woman from Hong Thuong commune, was very excited to interact with friends from other ethnic groups at the Traditional Culture Village, sharing: “Here, I get to meet many friends from different ethnic groups such as Co Tu, Ta Oi, and Pa Hy. Everyone works together to spread the word and introduce to their friends the cultural characteristics of their ethnic group.”

A traditional Co Tu house in the Cultural Village of Ethnic Minorities in A Luoi District.

A place to showcase cultural identity

Although it was only inaugurated at the beginning of September this year, the Ethnic Minority Cultural Village in A Luoi district had already hosted many activities recreating traditional festivals, displaying and introducing handicraft products, demonstrating traditional crafts, and other folk cultural activities.

A Lưới District plans to relocate several households from the Pa Cô, Tà Ôi, and Cơ Tu ethnic groups to the village in the near future. With a cultural village space and the presence of these ethnic communities, the essence of the land and its people will blend together, creating a diverse and rich cultural tapestry.

Accordingly, traditional festivals and many cultural heritages of ethnic minority communities will be restored and revived. Folk songs, folk dances, and musical instruments of ethnic minorities will be collected, preserved, and performed in the village space to serve tourists who come to visit and experience them. At the same time, the wealth of knowledge of village elders, community leaders, and respected individuals will pass on valuable materials to build and develop the Cultural Village into an even more attractive place.

The community center of the Pa Kô people.

Currently, the preservation and promotion of intangible cultural values ​​and unique cultural customs of ethnic minorities in A Lưới district are regularly maintained. Festivals such as the A Riêu Ca Festival of the Pa Cô people, the Kliing Tang Festival (Giang worship ceremony) of the Tà Ôi people, and the Ân Ninh Festival (groom's family's reciprocal ceremony) of the Cơ Tu people not only carry traditional cultural values ​​but also create attractions for tourism development and improve the economic lives of the people.

At the same time, traditional crafts such as Zèng weaving, basket weaving, pottery, handicrafts, and local OCOP products such as dwarf bananas, A Lưới yellow cattle, and Radư rice will be further developed. This will create income, improve the lives of the people, and contribute to sustainable poverty reduction.

Tieu Dao - Bao Anh (Ethnic Groups and Development Newspaper)

Source: https://baophutho.vn/lang-van-hoa-tren-reo-cao-may-trang-220663.htm