Through cultural practice, transmission, and exchanges, heritage values are sustained and disseminated throughout the community, enriching spiritual life and passing down ethnic cultural beauty to future generations.

Amid resonating musical rhythms, graceful dances and folk melodies rich in ethnic identity transport audiences back to cultural values cultivated across generations. Today, these fine traditions continue to be cherished, preserved, and handed down at the Thành Bản Phủ Folk Arts Club. The club unites over 10 art troupes comprising nearly 200 members. Sharing a common passion for folk culture and arts, members include artisans who possess profound knowledge of traditional folk songs and dances, play ethnic musical instruments skillfully, and have extensive experience practicing traditional art forms.

Vũ Thanh An, Head of the Club, shared: “For us, each folk melody, dance step, or resonance of an ethnic instrument embodies the cultural values and memories of our ancestors. Therefore, club members always remain mindful of preserving, practicing, and passing these treasures down to the next generation. Through routine activities, rehearsals, and performances, we aim to bring traditional culture closer to the community, especially the younger generation, so that they understand, cherish, and take pride in their ethnic identity.”

Recognizing that educating students on the awareness of safeguarding and promoting ethnic cultural identities is a vital mission, numerous schools across the province have proactively incorporated traditional cultural experience activities into curricula and extracurricular programs. By establishing cultural and arts clubs, organizing exchanges, performing folk songs, dances, and music, and exploring the customs and traditions of ethnic groups, students are given opportunities to access, experience, and deeply appreciate local cultural values.

Điện Biên provincial Ethnic Boarding High School has stepped up extracurricular programs, creating conditions for students to directly study, experience, and practice traditional cultural values. Currently, the school maintains nine clubs, among which the Arts and Events Club and the Culture Club serve as rewarding playgrounds, drawing large numbers of students to practice folk song, dance, and music performances while exploring the distinct cultural heritage of various ethnic groups.

Trần Thị Phương Thùy, a 12th-grade student in class 12C10 at Điện Biên provincial Ethnic Boarding High School, shared: “Participating in the club allows me to explore ethnic traditional culture more deeply, rehearse dances and folk melodies firsthand, and take part in school performance programs. Through this, I better understand the cultural values our ancestors preserved across generations, fostering deeper love and pride in our ethnic heritage.”

Every weekend, women in the mass art troupe of Độc Lập Residential Quarter, Điện Biên Phủ ward, gather at the cultural house to rehearse traditional dances of the Thái ethnic group, such as the Piêu Scarf dance, Sỏong dance, and fan dance. Supple, graceful movements harmonize with lively music to produce a colorful artistic space. Through dedication and enthusiasm, these women are helping preserve and spread traditional beauty, ensuring that Thái xòe dances and folk melodies resonate continuously in the heart of Điện Biên today.

Lò Thị Hương, Head of the Độc Lập Residential Quarter art troupe, shared: “Members of the troupe share a deep affection for traditional culture, so despite busy household routines, everyone arranges time to practice regularly. We hope to preserve the dances and songs closely intertwined with our lives, while introducing our ethnic group’s cultural beauty to the wider public. Most rewarding of all is seeing villagers cheer during performances and observing young children enthusiastically learning traditional dance movements. That provides the impetus for us to sustain our activities, contributing to preserving Thái ethnic cultural identity for future generations.”

Across Điện Biên province, 1,250 mass art troupes are currently maintained and developed, serving as vital nuclei in safeguarding, preserving, and promoting the traditional cultural identities of ethnic groups. Through regular meetings, cultural exchanges, folk art performances, and instruction for the youth, clubs and mass art troupes help awaken community passion and civic responsibility in preserving cultural values handed down through generations.

Beyond creating spaces for residents to practice and spread spoken languages, traditional attire, folk songs, dances, musical instruments, and ancestral customs, the activities of clubs and mass art troupes enrich spiritual life and consolidate great national unity. In particular, when coupled with promotional outreach, cultural experiences, and community-based tourism development, heritage values are not merely preserved within daily life, but gain added avenues to thrive and boost local tourism appeal.

Evidently, clubs and mass art troupes are helping ensure heritage values remain actively present across community life. From every dance and melody passed down, cultural devotion and awareness are cultivated in each individual, especially among the youth. To prevent these values from fading over time, maintaining and elevating the operational quality of clubs requires sustained attention, linking preservation with heritage promotion and tourism development. Thereby, traditional culture serves not only as pride in ancestral roots, but becomes a vital resource shaping the distinct vitality and unique identity of the land of Điện Biên.