Nestled along a valley, Thèn Pả village in Na Sang commune is home to more than 70 households and over 400 Xạ Phang people. Amid traditional houses and stone fences, many distinctive cultural practices have been preserved, including the craft of making embroidered shoes, which has been passed down through generations and is listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

In Thèn Pả, Lò Seo Phấn is one of the young people carrying on this traditional craft out of her love for the embroidered shoes of her ethnic community.

One August morning, sitting on her porch, Phấn was putting the finishing touches to a pair of shoes that was still unfinished. Her nimble fingers moved the needle through layers of fabric, pulling the thread and carefully straightening each stitch. With every stitch, another part of the intricate pattern became more clearly defined. The seemingly simple work requires patience and skillful hands, qualities she has developed through years of practicing the craft.

Phấn said: “To make a traditional pair of shoes, we need to prepare various materials, including fabric, đanh cord, beeswax and bamboo sheath. Each pair takes around 15 to 20 days to make, and sometimes even a full month. As a young person, I want to preserve the craft handed down by my grandparents and parents so that these beautiful traditions can continue to be preserved and introduced to more young people, helping them understand, appreciate and carry on this traditional craft.”

For Phấn, preserving the craft starts with small things: learning how to select materials, remembering each stage of the process and becoming familiar with every stitch. Then, what she has learned is passed on to others. In this way, the craft does not remain merely in the stories of previous generations but continues to be practiced in the daily lives of young people.

While Phấn preserves Xạ Phang culture through the traditional craft of embroidered shoes, in Na Phay village, Mường Nhà commune, Lò Thị Kiên has chosen a broader platform to tell stories about Thai culture.

On Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, Kiên introduces traditional customs, clothing, ways of life and the beauty of her homeland through engaging images and music. Her social media channels now have more than one million followers, with many videos attracting millions of views.

Kiên said: “As a Thai person, traditional cultural values have been part of my life since childhood. The older I have grown, the more I have come to love and appreciate these values, so I always want to preserve them through the photos and videos I create. I want the things I know and have experienced through my ethnic culture to continue to be told in a familiar and youthful way, so that more people, especially young people, can better understand and appreciate our traditional cultural values.”

Điện Biên currently has 24 national intangible cultural heritage elements, covering various forms including folk performing arts, traditional festivals, handicrafts and folk knowledge. These heritage values are closely linked to community life and contribute to the distinctive identities of the province’s ethnic groups.

However, amid increasing integration and changes in daily life, traditional cultural practices are facing direct challenges. Some customs, traditions and handicrafts are at risk of being practiced less frequently or becoming known to fewer people. Therefore, the participation of young people is particularly important.

Young people need opportunities to learn about, practice and create from the cultural foundations of their own communities.

According to Mùa Chiến Thắng, Secretary of the Điện Biên provincial Youth Union, young people need to become a proactive force in preserving and promoting traditional ethnic cultures.

In the coming period, the provincial Youth Union will step up activities to educate young people about traditions through Youth Union, Youth Federation and Young Pioneer activities; organize experiential programs and activities exploring local culture, history, customs, folk songs, folk dances and traditional crafts.

These activities will create opportunities for young people and Youth Union members to learn about, practice and carry forward cultural values. At the same time, young people will be encouraged to use technology and social media to introduce the traditional clothing, folk songs, folk dances, festivals and handicrafts of different ethnic groups.

Cultural preservation will also be linked with community-based tourism, traditional products and start-up initiatives, giving these cultural values greater visibility in contemporary life while opening up new livelihood opportunities for local people.

In Thèn Pả, needles and threads continue to bring Xạ Phang embroidered shoes to life. In Na Phay, traditional clothing and the colorful áo cóm (traditional Thai women’s blouse) continue to appear in videos created by young people.

Two different approaches and two different choices, yet both are rooted in the same love for and commitment to preserving cultural identity. When young people actively become practitioners, bearers and ambassadors of their culture, values nurtured across generations will continue to have a place in contemporary life.