Language and writing are not only a means of communication, but also the soul of national culture. For the Thai people, writing not only represents identity but also serves as a bridge to convey knowledge, customs, and folk tales that have been preserved through many generations.

Contest to preserve and develop languages ​​and writings of ethnic groups in Son La city.

Mr. Tran Cong Chinh, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee, said: The City has implemented many practical activities to preserve and promote the Thai ethnic language and script, contributing to preserving traditional cultural identity, such as: Promoting activities to teach and preserve the Thai ethnic language and script; encouraging the opening of Thai language classes, opening Thai cultural clubs; organizing Thai cultural competitions and exchanges to encourage the young generation to use and develop the ethnic language...

In 2024, the City built a community library system called “Wisdom House” as a model of charitable activities in the field of education. To date, 100% of the groups and villages in the area have “Wisdom Houses”. This is a miniature library, providing books, newspapers, magazines, and also preserving documents on the language, literature and customs of the Thai people, helping people access knowledge and preserve the national cultural identity.

Many young people participate in the Thai writing contest.

In mid-April, Son La City organized a contest to preserve and develop the language and writing of the city's ethnic groups in the form of dramatization. The contest attracted 21 contestants who are Thai ethnic people from 12 communes and wards in the city to participate in a speech contest and a writing contest in Thai. Through the contest, not only did the contestants participate in research but it also spread strongly in agencies, units, communes and wards to research and study together.

Quàng Thị Thùy Linh, born in 2013, was the youngest person to participate in the speaking competition at the contest. Linh shared: “In the past, when participating in programs, I often used Vietnamese. I was very excited and proud to participate in the contest using Thai. Through the contest, I was able to research and learn more about my ethnic language, helping me improve my language skills. I hope that there will be more contests like this organized specifically for teenagers and children to help preserve and promote the Thai ethnic language for the younger generation.”

Keeping up with the trend of the 4.0 revolution, the City also encourages the use of social networks, such as YouTube, Facebook, Tik Tok to convey content about the cultural life of the Thai people in Thai language. These channels post videos about festivals and folk arts, helping the younger generation to access their language and culture more easily, and are followed and shared by many people.

Candidates participate in the Thai language speaking contest at the Contest to Preserve and Develop the Spoken and Written Languages ​​of Ethnic Groups in the City.

In addition, the City also has 36 Thai ethnic cultural clubs in communes and wards, attracting more than 1,000 participants, including artisans and elderly people fluent in Thai language and writing. The clubs not only organize unique cultural activities but also teach Thai writing for free; the classes have received positive responses from members, with all ages participating in learning their ethnic writing.

Mr. Ca Chung, a member of the Thai ethnic cultural club in Noong La village, Chieng Ngan commune, said: As a Thai ethnic person, I always want the culture and writing of my ethnic group to be passed down to future generations. I have collected documents on Thai script, opened a free Thai script class for nearly 100 students who are people in the village and commune, and the happiest thing is that many young people have registered to study.

Thai language class in Noong La village, Chieng Ngan commune, City.

Ms. Lo Thi Mai Cuong, Chau Co village, Chieng Coi ward, is one of the pioneers in preserving and teaching Thai script in Son La. With her enthusiasm, she opened free Thai script classes or participated in teaching classes organized by communes and wards in the area, helping many generations of people to read and write Thai script and gain a deeper understanding of the ethnic culture.

Ms. Cuong shared: My class has no age limit, from children to adults can participate. Every week, the class takes place on Saturday and Sunday, after finishing a course, everyone can read and write basically, in addition, there are other teachers to create conditions for people to be able to study without affecting their daily work.

Mrs. Lo Mai Cuong teaches Thai to the young generation.

Not only stopping at direct teaching, Ms. Cuong also takes advantage of technology, creating Thai learning tutorial videos on YouTube and Facebook to help many people self-study even if they do not have the conditions to attend direct classes, at the same time, expanding the scope of access, not only in the Thai community in Son La City but also across the region. The Thai language tutorial videos, songs, and folk tales have attracted the attention of many people, contributing to spreading the love of the Thai language, helping the younger generation understand and appreciate the cultural heritage of their people better. Ms. Lo Mai Cuong's contributions not only help preserve the Thai ethnic script but also inspire many people to join hands to preserve cultural identity.

The implementation of activities to preserve the Thai ethnic writing culture has brought about many obvious results, contributing to the preservation and promotion of the cultural identity of the Thai community in Son La. These efforts not only help maintain the language but also motivate the younger generation to continue learning and using the Thai language and writing in daily life.