Part 2: Passing down traditions to sustain culture

Embracing these assets, the younger generation is finding its own pathways, connecting cultural preservation with household routines, community living, and modern technology, ensuring ethnic identity continues to thrive and shine.

Keepers of the cultural flame

Inside the Dao Nôm script classroom in Sín Chải village, Nà Hỳ commune, learners diligently study traditional characters with each passing lesson. Meritorious Artisan Lý Lìn Siểu patiently guides students in reading, writing, and interpreting meaning, helping them gain deeper insight into the history, customs, beliefs, and spiritual life of the Dao people.

Having dedicated decades to Dao Nôm script, Meritorious Artisan Lý Lìn Siểu devotes his time to collecting, researching, and compiling ancient manuscripts. The volumes he preserves safeguard extensive folk wisdom, customs, and religious practices of the Dao. Today, this accumulated knowledge is brought into the classroom, enabling learners to read, write, and appreciate the values enshrined within their community’s written heritage.

Joining the class, Chảo Lù Lang from Vàng Đán Dạo village gained the chance to learn his ethnic writing system. Having previously only spoken the Dao dialect without knowing how to read or write Dao Nôm characters, Lang shared that since attending the class, he has deepened his understanding of his origins, customs, and ancestral culture, fostering pride and a commitment to protecting ethnic heritage.

To Meritorious Artisan Lý Lìn Siểu, collecting and compiling materials represents only one aspect of safeguarding Dao Nôm script. His ultimate goal is to cultivate more people who can read, write, and comprehend the wisdom contained within every volume. He shared that the Dao Nôm corpus encapsulates immense folk knowledge, customs, beliefs, and ethnic culture, and his deepest wish is for younger generations to speak the language and master the script so ethnic culture endures through successive eras.

Cultural continuity unfolds through a different medium in A Pa Chải village, Sín Thầu commune. During Hà Nhì folk dance rehearsals, 61-year-old Su Lò De patiently demonstrates each gesture, instructing learners on arm movements, footwork, maintaining rhythm, and coordinating gestures with musical beats. Students observe carefully and practice repeatedly, becoming familiar with traditional movements.

The melodies, dances, and traditional tailoring techniques preserved by Su Lò De were handed down by her mother and village elders. Today, she continues guiding younger relatives and local villagers, maintaining Hà Nhì folk song clubs. For her, cultural protection begins with values being actively practiced and embraced by the community.

In Mường Lay ward, Meritorious Artisan Vàng Văn Thức, a White Thái resident of Na Nát village, has devoted over 30 years to Then singing and the Kin Pang Then ritual. He spends substantial time teaching ancient Then melodies to children and folk enthusiasts, including Kinh learners, while joining in organizing Kin Pang Then celebrations in Mường Lay and other Thái settlements.

Though methods differ, these culture keepers share dedication in preserving inherited cultural treasures. While some protect written heritage through ancient manuscripts, others pass down songs and dances, and still others sustain Then traditions. Through these custodians, heritage does not linger as a distant memory, but remains actively practiced, embraced, and visible in community living.

Đào Duy Trình, Head of the Cultural Management Division under the Điện Biên Provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, affirmed that meritorious and folk artisans play a pivotal role in preserving and transmitting traditional values across ethnic groups. Over the years, Điện Biên province has enacted mechanisms and policies to encourage, assist, and empower artisans in teaching, practicing, and conserving cultural heritage.

The youth energize cultural legacy

While artisans serve as primary transmitters, the younger generation represents the force that absorbs and keeps these values alive in modern society. Across Điện Biên, youth involvement is growing diverse, closely tied to personal living environments, interests, and creative expressions.

Residing beside Pa Phông Bridge, Quàng Thị Hoa, a Dao resident in Tủa Thàng commune, chooses to preserve culture within her family living space. Her traditional slate-roofed home amidst the mountains and rivers retains its traditional decor alongside ancestral utensils. Dao costumes, dishes, and community customs are actively sustained in everyday routines.

To Hoa, preserving culture starts with intimate actions. By preparing traditional meals, wearing ethnic garments, keeping ancestral architectural decor, and observing local customs, she enables her children to observe, experience, and comprehend their heritage, allowing passed-down values to remain vibrant in domestic life.

In Na Phay village, Mường Nhà commune, Lò Thị Kiên harnesses digital technology to tell Thái cultural stories in ways that resonate with contemporary audiences. Across Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube, she records, edits, and shares content covering customs, costumes, lifestyles, cuisine, and local landscapes. Cultural values are conveyed through imagery, video, and music tailored to social media consumption habits.

Kiên’s social media channels have attracted over 1 million followers, with numerous clips drawing millions of views. Each video offers a fresh pathway into Thái culture, bringing community narratives closer to the public, especially younger demographics.

Kiên shared that as a child of the Thái ethnic group, traditional heritage has accompanied her since youth; as she grew older, her appreciation for these assets deepened, inspiring her to capture them through original videos so her lived experiences could be conveyed in an approachable, vibrant way that inspires young people to love and appreciate ancestral culture.

Though approaches vary, young people share proactive attitudes toward embracing culture and integrating it into daily life, paving fresh roads for cultural legacy.

Viewed through the Politburo’s Resolution No.80-NQ/TW, mobilizing the role of youth carries significance in human development and cultural progress. The resolution emphasizes cultural and moral education for younger generations, harmonizing traditional and modern values.

For Điện Biên, cultural continuity begins with youth understanding and cherishing community values while actively engaging in their preservation, practice, and dissemination. When passed-down heritage finds eager recipients who continue daily practice, culture endures naturally across each generation, allowing the ethnic cultures of Điện Biên to remain sustained and flourishing.