Muong Cultural Heritage Museum - where the gong sounds forever

Muong Cultural Heritage Museum - "miniature Muong village" built by Mr. Bui Thanh Binh with his lifetime savings and deep love for his roots.

Mr. Bui Thanh Binh (left) introduces the Muong cultural exhibition space at an event to exchange and promote cultural heritage. Photo: Thu Hang

From the idea of personal collection, Mr. Binh restored the living space, furniture, architecture and opened a class to teach Muong culture to the young generation.

"Muong Village" in the middle of the city

Born on the Da River, having held a position in the tourism industry, at an age when many people choose to retire, Mr. Binh started a new journey. That is to rebuild a "Muong village" in the middle of the city. The land is the land of his ancestors, the money is the savings of a lifetime. When he started, he only knew one thing - if he didn't do it right away, many values would be lost.

In 2014, after many years of searching for artifacts, dismantling and restoring stilt houses, the museum officially opened. This is one of the first private museums in the Northwest region, and the 24th private museum in the country.

The museum consists of 6 ancient stilt houses brought back from many villages, of which 4 recreate the ancient Muong social structure: Lang House (nobles), Au House (servants), Nooc House (commoners) and Nooc Troi House (poor class). The remaining two houses are specialized exhibition areas on musical instruments, costumes, festivals, beliefs... Each house is a story, clearly recreating the differences in status, activities and worship spaces of each class.

Every item, the smoky kitchen, the altar in the middle of Lang's house, the jar of rice wine next to the old wooden pillar are all restored to their original form, carrying the breath of Muong life, as if they had just been transferred from an ancient copy.

Entrance gate of Muong Cultural Heritage Museum, Thong Nhat Ward (now Phu Tho Province) - a typical cultural destination of Hoa Binh Province (old). Photo: Thu Hang

Like a “treasure trove” that can tell stories, the museum currently holds more than 6,000 original artifacts, dating from prehistoric to modern times, classified and arranged by theme: agricultural tools, fishing tools, musical instruments, wickerwork, costumes, festivals, beliefs... The difference is the intimate display: Each artifact has an explanation, origin, many items also have the name of the donor, as a thank you to the community.

A Heger II bronze drum here is not only an antique, but also evokes the echoes of an ancient Muong society, with its own organization, rituals, and status. The ethnic costumes, the rattan basket, or the Doi calendar made from old bamboo... all open up vivid slices of the material and spiritual life of the Muong people.

The collection of more than 100 ancient gongs, some up to 70cm in diameter, is both for display and for use in performances, Mo ceremonies or gong classes right at the museum. The sound of gongs echoing in the mountainous space makes visitors feel like they are reliving an ancient Muong festival.

Ms. Nong Le Quyen, a tourist from Cao Bang shared: “Coming here, I feel like I am living in a real Muong village. The sound of gongs, the smell of kitchen smoke, the stories Mr. Binh tells... moved me and made me feel that Muong culture is so close and lively.”

Preserving and spreading Muong culture

Right at the museum, Mr. Binh opened a gong class for students, Muong people far from home and even international visitors. Anyone can sit down, learn how to play, feel and understand the meaning of each gong beat and each ceremonial costume. From these classes, many cultural “seeds” were sown: Some became performing artists, some continued to collect artifacts, some returned to their villages to open a class to teach Muong folk songs to children.

Not only does he welcome guests locally, he also takes Muong culture far away. In 2015, he and his colleagues brought the Khuong festival and excerpts from the epic poem "Birth of the Earth, Birth of Water" to Bangkok. In early 2024, when many people were still gathering for Tet, he and his family transported hundreds of artifacts to the Cu Chi tunnels, then to Bai Dinh to perform Muong culture during the festival season. Each trip is a time to "transfer memories", so that the sound of Muong gongs can resonate in strange lands.

International tourists enjoy learning about bamboo calendars (Doi calendars) with artisans at the Muong Cultural Museum. Photo: Thu Hang

Connecting communities, creating livelihoods

Thanks to its open space and philosophy of serving the community, the museum welcomes 5,000 - 7,000 visitors each year, mostly students, researchers, and international visitors. Notably, admission is free, with donations available. “I opened this place so that the Muong people have a place to remember, and strangers have a place to understand,” Mr. Binh shared.

Not only does the museum display exhibits, it also connects with the community through hands-on experiences: pounding rice, weaving, cooking bamboo rice, listening to gongs, learning to sing folk songs... Even the dishes served here are prepared by the Muong people. This model both preserves the cultural spirit and creates jobs and increases income for local people.

According to Mr. Ta Ngoc Doanh - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thong Nhat Ward, Phu Tho Province, the Muong Cultural Heritage Museum is not only a tourist destination, but also a place to educate the younger generation about traditions. This place is like a "red address" to promote the local image, while contributing to preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Muong ethnic group in Hoa Binh (old).

The Muong Cultural Heritage Museum is not only a place to preserve artifacts, but also a journey to persistently preserve the culture of our ancestors. In the sound of gongs resounding in the middle of the street, the love of the Muong people for their ethnic identity remains intact, so that those values are not only in memory, but also alive in every beat of life today.

Source: https://laodong.vn/lao-dong-cuoi-tuan/bao-tang-di-san-van-hoa-muong-noi-tieng-chieng-ngan-mai-1554144.ldo