The people of Cang Coi village, Muong Lan commune, participate in the Magro Festival.

On this trip to Cang Coi, we were able to immerse ourselves in the crowds attending the Magro Festival (Harvest Festival) organized by the People's Committee of Muong Lan commune at the village's cultural center. The festival began with a solemn ceremony at the shaman's house, with prayers inviting ancestors to celebrate the New Year, hoping for a year of favorable weather, bountiful harvests, and peaceful lives. The festivities were lively with graceful traditional dances and folk games, creating a vibrant atmosphere and strengthening community solidarity.

Mrs. Pit Thi Binh, from Cang Coi village, happily said: "The Magro festival is held every December, when the rice grains have settled comfortably in the granaries, and people are relaxed after the harvest to thank the gods and ancestors and pray for a good harvest and blessings for the new year. Seeing my children and grandchildren gathered together, all healthy and prosperous, I am happy that our ethnic identity is not fading away."

To preserve and conserve the traditional culture of the Khơ Mú people, Cang Cói village has actively implemented the resolutions, directives, and guidelines of the Party on building an advanced culture rich in national identity into daily life. Mr. Quàng Văn Biên, Party Secretary and Village Head, said: Every year, the village focuses on raising awareness about cultural preservation through village meetings. At the same time, it promotes the role of respected individuals and artisans in teaching the younger generation everything from language and costumes to folk songs.

The traditional Vêlr guông (Au eo) dance of the Khơ Mú people in Cang Cói village.

Thanks to these efforts, the Khơ Mú people here still preserve their "mother tongue," belonging to the Mon-Khmer group, with over 95% of the population fluent in the language. Folk songs and melodies are passed down orally. Especially the Vêlr guông (Au eo) dance and the hip-shaking dance, which mimic the movements and gestures of daily labor such as harvesting rice, planting corn, chasing birds, picking vegetables, and catching shrimp, are regularly practiced by the village's performing arts group. During festivals and holidays, the sounds of drums and gongs blend with the resonant sounds of the tăng bu, flutes, and hưn mạy (đao đao) made by the villagers themselves, creating a distinctive symphony of the border mountains and forests.

In addition, Cang Coi village has established and maintained a community performing arts troupe with 10 members. Annually, with financial support, they regularly practice and perform for the villagers and the community, and participate in competitions and festivals. They also teach the Au Eo dance and folk songs to the younger generation in the village.

Although wedding and funeral rituals have undergone changes to adapt to modern life, they still retain their unique characteristics. In wedding ceremonies, the custom of the groom living with the bride's family has been shortened but remains a testament to the beauty of the Khơ Mú people's family culture. In funeral ceremonies, rituals such as breaking down walls, establishing a new kitchen, or smearing knees to ward off evil are still maintained as beautiful customs for showing respect to the deceased.

Children of the Khơ Mú ethnic group in Cang Cói village continue to wear their traditional clothing to school.

Traditional dishes such as five-colored sticky rice, bamboo-tube rice, chicken cooked with sour bamboo shoots, and especially the unique "doong uong" soup made from smoked meat and wild vegetables, are always present on the table when entertaining honored guests. Cultural exchange, particularly with the Thai ethnic group through clothing, does not diminish the unique identity but rather creates a harmonious and vibrant blend.

We said goodbye to Cang Coi, but the sounds of drums, gongs, and the Au Eo dance still resonated in our hearts. There's good news for the Khơ Mú people of Cang Coi village: the People's Committee of Muong Lan commune is coordinating with the Department of Conservation and Museums and the Provincial Center for Culture and Sports to research, collect, describe, and prepare a dossier to propose the recognition of the Magrơ festival as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2026. Through various ways of preserving traditional culture, and with the unity of each family and clan, we believe that the beautiful cultural values ​​of the Khơ Mú people here will continue to be preserved, live on through time, and serve as a foundation for the people to confidently build a new, prosperous life in this border region of the Fatherland.

Thai oven