Hanoi's highland people "bustling" to celebrate Independence Day

On the days leading up to September 2, the villages at the foot of Ba Vi Mountain... are filled with laughter everywhere. The red flag with yellow star flutters on the roofs and gates; on the newly opened concrete road, on the colorful stadium... In the mountainous area west of the capital, where the Dao people in Ba Vi commune; the Muong people in Suoi Hai, Yen Bai, Yen Xuan communes live... Independence Day is a major holiday of the year. Independence Day is not only a holiday, but also an occasion for cultural convergence, family reunion, village bonding, and also an occasion to express faith and pride in the country.

Folk dance performance of Yen Xuan Commune Women's Union on the morning of August 30, 2025. Photo by Minh Phu

Family and village together

These days, the festive atmosphere is everywhere in Ba Vi. Mr. Duong Kim Lien, a Dao ethnic in Yen Son village, Ba Vi, smiled kindly: I just hung the national flag; together with the people, I cleaned the alleys to welcome Independence Day. This Tet is the 80th anniversary of the State organizing a military parade - the joyful atmosphere from the city spreads throughout the Ba Vi mountain village. Mr. Lien said: My family has a traditional traditional medicine profession, in addition, we also raise chickens and grow Bat Bo bamboo shoots, so the economy has improved a lot. "My family has built a spacious 2-storey house. I have 3 children who are all grown up and have their own families. Every year on Independence Day, I cook and call my children and grandchildren to come home to gather together" - Mr. Lien said.

Also in Ba Vi commune, Ms. Duong Thi Quynh, a Dao ethnic person, said: Independence Day in Ba Vi is always happy and warm every year. This year, implementing the 2-level local government model, from July 1, 2025, Ba Vi commune was formed on the basis of merging the communes: Ba Vi, Khanh Thuong Minh Quang of the old Ba Vi district. Today, Ba Vi commune is the commune with the largest area in Hanoi , most of the area is hills and mountains located in the buffer zone and core zone of Ba Vi National Park. This is also the farthest place from the center of the capital with a distance of nearly 100km. It is a commune with Kinh, Dao, Muong ethnic groups living... with many unique features.

Yen Bai village is ablaze with red flags to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2. Photo: Minh Phu

The new commune is large but has the close attention and direction of the Party Committee and the government, so all activities take place smoothly and rhythmically. On September 2 this year, in addition to the exciting cultural, artistic, physical education and sports activities, many children living far away from home returned, making the village more bustling... Many families slaughtered pigs and chickens to celebrate Independence Day. "The Dao people often organize meals within the family. During the holidays, children have a day off from school, and people living far away have a day off to return to their hometown, so families are often full, gathering together, preparing traditional dishes such as grilled meat, sticky rice, stream fish... These dishes not only entertain guests but also remind children and grandchildren to preserve and promote national identity" - Ms. Quynh said.

Leaving Ba Vi commune, going to Suoi Hai, Yen Bai, Yen Xuan communes where many Muong people live, the atmosphere of Independence Day is equally exciting. Everywhere in the communes, colorful flags, banners, slogans... are decorated. Many cultural and sports activities in the communes take place enthusiastically, including the "specialty" of the Muong people, which is the melodious gong melodies that echo throughout the mountains and forests. Ms. Doan Thi Thinh, President of the Women's Union of Yen Xuan commune happily said: In the villages, Independence Day is not only a time for fun, but also an opportunity to unite the community.

In Yen Bai commune, many village cultural houses resounded with the sound of gongs, the xoe dance, and the bamboo dance, bustling and attracting footsteps. Some women wore traditional costumes to participate in the performances. Head of Bai village - Nguyen Tien Luc said: The whole village has more than 250 households, 65% of which are Muong people. To welcome National Day, following the direction of the commune, the village launched a campaign for the whole population to participate in general environmental sanitation on Saturdays and Sundays; and encouraged families to hang the national flag. On this occasion, families often cook Tet meals with typical dishes, making the atmosphere of the mountains and forests more bustling and joyful.

The road is brilliant with the red flag with yellow star of Yen Bai commune. Photo: Minh Phu

Connecting villages, looking towards the Fatherland

Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Ba Vi Commune, Nguyen Van Hung, said: To celebrate the success of the Party Congress of the commune and major national holidays, Ba Vi Commune organized many cultural, artistic and sports activities to create a vibrant atmosphere among the people such as: Volleyball tournament between villages and schools; art programs... In particular, to serve the people, the city arranged for Ba Vi Commune to install 2 large LED screens at the central locations of Khanh Thuong area and the intersection of the road to Den Trung so that people could watch the parade live from Ba Dinh Square. At the same time, the commune sent representatives of cadres, party members and people to be present at the Commune People's Committee hall early in the morning of September 2 to watch the parade online. "Ba Vi is a commune far from the city center, so the images directly transmitted from Ba Dinh to the mountains and forests are meaningful, creating a close and joyful atmosphere among the people" - Mr. Nguyen Van Hung said.

On the occasion of National Day this year, the highland communes in Hanoi have promoted propaganda work in many forms, and organized many healthy recreational activities to strengthen solidarity among ethnic groups and encourage people of all walks of life to promote patriotic emulation movements. Sports competitions and art performances have attracted a large number of local people to participate.

Healthy recreational activities are organized on the occasion of National Day. Photo: Minh Phu

In Yen Xuan commune - a newly established commune on the basis of the communes: Yen Trung, Yen Binh, Dong Xuan, Tien Xuan, which are 4 communes of Hoa Binh province that were merged into Hanoi city since 2008. These days, women in the commune are enthusiastically practicing art performances to organize a mass performance on the right National Day. According to the President of the Women's Union of Yen Xuan commune, Doan Thi Thinh, the event has the participation of 400 women with elaborately staged performances on the background music: "Come to my Vietnamese people"; "Solidarity dance"... This is an activity that contributes to educating the tradition of patriotism, promoting national pride, and awareness of training of women in Yen Xuan commune...

The joy of Hanoi's mountainous people when playing volleyball. Photo: Minh Phu

It is easy to see that in the mountainous communes of Hanoi, in the joy of Independence Day, people are always aware of preserving their identity, while at the same time aspiring to rise up. Dao dances and Muong gongs not only resound in the festival, but are also included in mass art troupes, becoming a regular beauty. Ms. Le Thi Thu, Head of the Gong Club of Yen Binh Village 2 (Yen Xuan Commune) said: "We Muong ethnic people are given more conditions to preserve our cultural identity. The village was supported with 2 sets of gongs, and the cultural house was newly built." Independence Day is an opportunity for us to strengthen our solidarity, arouse pride, thereby encouraging people to actively work in production, and build a new countryside rich in identity.

If at Ba Dinh Square, the whole country rejoiced in the military parade, then in Ba Vi, Yen Bai, Suoi Hai, Yen Xuan…, the people also joined in the same rhythm. Independence Day has become a bridge, so that the Dao and Muong people in the Ba Vi mountains feel closer to Hanoi, closer to the Fatherland. Every drum beat, every gong beat, every dance on this day resonates with pride.

Late in the afternoon, when leaving Ba Vi, the sound of gongs still echoed in the mountain wind. The small, pretty houses of the ethnic minorities on the mountainside, brightly decorated with flags and flowers, gradually receded into the distance. In that mountainous area, Independence Day is not only a holiday, but also a part of life, a bond connecting families and villages with the Fatherland, a testament to the enduring vitality of the culture of the ethnic minorities in the capital. And on the new development path, in the midst of the new rural construction, Independence Day will certainly still be a source of invaluable spiritual strength, adding confidence and pride for the ethnic minorities in the mountains and forests of Ba Vi and the capital Hanoi to move forward steadily.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nguoi-vung-cao-ha-noi-chon-ron-don-tet-doc-lap-714634.html