The dance moves, though no longer as flexible as in their youth, are still soft and graceful; the singing voices are no longer as clear as before but still contain passion and love for life. That is a familiar image every weekend afternoon at the village cultural house where members of the Na Lay Elderly Arts Club, Mường Lay ward, diligently practice.

The Na Lay Elderly Arts Club consists of members living in the former Na Lay ward. This is one of the active clubs, frequently participating in the ward’s cultural and artistic programs during holidays, Tet, or contests and festivals. Recently, the club has built many programs introducing costumes and the identity of the White Thai people of Mường Lay on social media platforms and central and provincial media agencies.

Lò Thị Lả, a member of the Na Lay Elderly Arts Club, shared: “Participating in art practice, I feel much healthier. This is also a place for us to entrust our thoughts and bond emotionally. When the passion is great, we wish to transmit the folk dances and lyrics of the Thai people to the younger generation for preservation and spreading.”

In Mường Lay ward, the cultural and artistic movement of the elderly is always maintained and constantly developing. Currently, every branch has an arts team, attracting hundreds of members to actively participate. Vũ Thị Kim Chiến, Chairwoman of the Elderly Association of Mường Lay ward, said: “The Association currently has over 1,500 members. Although everyone’s living conditions are different, optimism is a common point, expressed through cultural and artistic activities and the “High age, bright example” lifestyle in residential areas. According to Vũ Thị Kim Chiến, with the cultural characteristics of the White Thai people, art teams in the ward often focus on ethnic dances, along with collecting, learning, and performing ancient tunes such as: Inviting wine, celebrating a new house... One session a week, despite their high age, members still put aside personal matters to practice together. They are enthusiastic about the club because of the joy and responsibility of preserving and passing on traditional cultural values to the next generation.”

In Điện Biên Phủ ward, where many retired officials live, the elderly arts movement is developing even more strongly. Many clubs operate regularly such as: The 7/5 Elderly Singing Club, the Điện Biên Phủ Elderly Singing Club... Nguyễn Thị Phương, a member of the Điện Biên Phủ Elderly Singing Club, said: “The predecessor was the Mường Thanh ward arts team; by 2011, we established the club with 15 people. After many years of operation, the club has now gathered nearly 50 members. There are elders who are very old but still attend regularly. Every Saturday and Sunday evening, we gather at the cultural house to practice. Arts help us be happier and healthier, giving us more opportunities to chat, encourage each other to live well, and continue to be an example for children and grandchildren...”

Parallel to the activities of groups, teams, and clubs, to further improve the spiritual life of the elderly, every year the elderly associations at all levels promotes information dissemination and organizes many art activities, creating a rich and useful living environment for members. Art festivals and elderly singing festivals from the cluster and provincial levels to the national level are always maintained regularly. Notably, in 2023, when the National Elderly Singing Festival was organized for the first time, the Mass Art Delegation of the Elderly of Điện Biên province made a bold impression with many excellent achievements: Prize A for the whole delegation, achieving 2 excellent prizes for the male solo performance and the opening singing and dancing performance, and 3 A prizes for the remaining performances. With this result, the delegation stood in the top 8/63 provinces and cities.

Recently, at the Provincial Elderly Singing Festival in 2025, having gone through 7 organizations, the activity has increasingly attracted a large number of members to participate. Attending this year’s festival were 14 delegations with over 250 actors, artisans, artists, and musicians from clubs and mass art delegations of the elderly in communes and wards within the province. With 65 performances of singing, dancing, poetry reading, monochord solo, flute solo... The performances brought a special impression to the festival with items praising the Party, Uncle Ho, praising the patriotic tradition of our people in the process of building and defending the Fatherland; praising the heroic homeland of Điện Biên Phủ, achievements in the renewal process, and national solidarity...

Ending the festival, according to the organizers’ assessment, most performances were elaborately prepared, rich in identity, vividly reflecting the breath of life and the elderly’s love for art. The festival became a meaningful playground, creating opportunities for exchange, learning, improving the quality of mass art, and contributing to expanding cultural space and preserving traditional values in the area.

Speaking about the cultural and artistic movement of the elderly, Lò Văn Mừng, Chairman of the Provincial Elderly Association, affirmed: The material and spiritual life of the elderly in recent years has been increasingly cared for. Cultural and artistic activities are a source of motivation for every elderly person to love life and people more, and to live healthier and more usefully.