Popular arts and culture contribute to enriching the spiritual life of the people.

Using traditional culture as a foundation.

During the summer months, the cultural center of Pán sub-district, Thuận Châu commune, resounds with the lively sounds of the khene, pi, and tinh tau instruments, and the enthusiastic practice sessions of the Intergenerational Self-Help Club. Members of all ages passionately practice, interspersed with stories about life, economic development, and building happy families. Culture and arts have become an indispensable source of spiritual nourishment for the people in the sub-district, helping to spread love and responsibility for preserving ethnic culture, contributing significantly to the movement to build cultural life at the grassroots level, and making Pán sub-district a model cultural unit of Thuận Châu commune.

Members of the Intergenerational Self-Help Club in Pán sub-district, Thuận Châu commune, teach traditional musical instruments to children.

Mr. Luong Van Dom, a member of the club, shared: "During this time, the children are on summer vacation. We, as grandparents, both look after them and teach them to play traditional Thai musical instruments such as the zither, the two-stringed fiddle, and the mouth organ. The grandmothers also teach the children how to embroider scarves and perform the Thai xoe dance, hoping that the younger generation will continue to preserve the beautiful cultural heritage of our ethnic group. Besides the club, there are also performing arts groups for women and the elderly in the village. Cultural and artistic activities help generations become closer and understand each other better, thus keeping the villagers united and always willing to support each other in everything."

Traditional clothing of Hmong women in Khau Pum village, Muong Chien commune.

Arriving at Khau Pum village in Muong Chien commune, home to nearly 100 households, mostly ethnic Mong people, we heard stories about the transformation of this highland village. Along with changes in mindset and awareness, economic development has led to a more stable life for the villagers, and the preservation and promotion of traditional culture is a bright spot here.

Mr. Giàng A Tạo, Party Secretary and Head of Khâu Pùm village, reported: The village maintains a performing arts troupe with 16 members, who regularly practice and actively participate in performances and exchanges with other villages and communes. The villagers also preserve traditional costumes, beeswax painting, and ancient rituals. At the same time, they diligently implement the village's regulations on civilized practices in weddings and funerals; actively plant flowers and maintain a clean and beautiful landscape to attract tourists to visit and experience the journey to conquer Khâu Pùm mountain peak.

Training session of the Intergenerational Self-Help Club in Pán sub-district, Thuận Châu commune.

These are typical examples of building cultural life at the grassroots level among many villages, hamlets, and residential areas in the province that are maintaining and promoting it with the preservation of traditional culture as a foundation. Currently, the entire province maintains more than 2,000 amateur performing arts groups in villages and hamlets. These groups are the core force that regularly performs to serve the local political agenda and meet the artistic needs and enhance the spiritual life of the people.

Furthermore, the preservation and promotion of traditional cultural values ​​have received attention and been implemented with many practical and effective solutions in recent years. In particular, the creation of cultural heritage dossiers for ethnic groups has resulted in the recognition of 20 national intangible cultural heritages; the province currently has 2 People's Artisans and 27 Outstanding Artisans who have been awarded titles; unique traditional festivals have been restored and performed, becoming a unique element for community tourism in the locality, helping to revitalize traditional culture, enrich the spiritual life of the people, and strengthen the bonds between ethnic communities.

Making emulation movements more substantive

The preservation of culture and the strengthening of community spirit have created a solid foundation for the effective implementation of patriotic emulation movements at the grassroots level. Among these, the movement for economic development, mutual assistance in poverty alleviation, and legitimate wealth creation is becoming a focal point, receiving attention and guidance from all levels and sectors. This contributes to the economic restructuring of the province and transforms the face of agriculture and rural areas in the mountainous region of Son La.

Many widespread movements, such as: "All citizens participate in protecting national security," "Joining forces to build new rural areas," "Women actively studying, working creatively, and building families with 5 no's and 3 clean's"... linked with promoting the study and emulation of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and style, have created a vibrant atmosphere of emulation, fostering community spirit, combating social evils, and promoting economic development. Currently, 100% of villages, residential areas, agencies, and units have signed commitments to implement the emulation movement to build a green, clean, and beautiful working environment and practice a civilized lifestyle; 100% of villages, sub-districts, and residential areas have developed village regulations and conventions in accordance with current laws and traditional customs.

A short propaganda play about building a happy family, produced by the Provincial Cultural and Sports Center.

To deepen the cultural life development movement, the province has focused on investing in cultural infrastructure, and localities have actively mobilized social resources, encouraging people to donate land, labor, and resources to build cultural and sports facilities. To date, the province has 66 out of 75 commune/ward-level cultural centers; and 2,080 out of 2,233 village/hamlet/neighborhood-level cultural centers. Each village/neighborhood maintains at least one amateur performing arts group along with clubs preserving cultural identity, folk songs, folk dances, and sports teams. From this, the movement to build "Cultural Families" and "Cultural Villages/Neighborhoods" has become more substantive, prioritizing quality over quantity. By 2025, the province aims for 78.5% of households to achieve the title of "Cultural Family," 42.2% of villages/neighborhoods to achieve the title of "Cultural Village/Neighborhood," and 98% of units, agencies, and businesses to be recognized as "Cultural Units."

Training course for core members of the amateur arts and culture movement.

As the leading locality in the province in the movement to build culturally exemplary families in 2025, To Hieu ward has 97.3% of households meeting the standards of a culturally exemplary family. Mr. Hoang Manh Ha, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of To Hieu ward, informed: The ward maintains and develops clubs, interest groups linking members, community learning models, cultural and sports clubs… attracting people of many generations to participate. Through these, emulation movements are effectively responded to and implemented, spreading strongly and making an important contribution to building a highly effective cultural life at the grassroots level.

Dao Tien women in Van Son ward preserve the traditional embroidery craft.

Discussing future directions, Mr. Pham Hong Thu, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, emphasized: The Department will continue to advise on solutions to effectively implement the work of building cultural life at the grassroots level, deepening the movement, issuing specific guidelines for localities; organizing propaganda through various visual and lively forms; strengthening training and improving knowledge on movement skills, gender equality, building regulations and customs; building model art troupes, cultural clubs, and artisans to pass on heritage... These activities help the movement develop sustainably, linked with patriotic emulation movements and the tasks of local socio-economic development.

Reviving the vitality of grassroots cultural life not only enhances the spiritual quality of the people but also creates a solid foundation for community cohesion and promotes socio-economic development. This is vivid proof that investing in culture is investing in the future, building a united community, a developed, civilized, and distinctive Son La.

Thanh Dao