The mother tongue and stories told on the veranda of stilt houses

Returning to Muong Luan Commune on a late-year afternoon, as kitchen smoke mingles with the mist drifting over the hillsides, what impressed us most was not only the peaceful scenery or the quiet, timeworn stilt houses in the villages. It was the lively chatter and laughter of children playing on their verandas, speaking in their native Thai language.

In the daily lives of the local people, the mother tongue and folktales passed down by grandparents and parents around the hearth constitute the first lessons every child receives. No matter how much the outside world changes, and no matter how the winds of technology and modern life reach even the villages along the border, the Thai people in Muong Luan continue to observe an unwritten rule: once they step across the threshold of a stilt house, they speak Thai and recall the customs and traditions of their ancestors.

The younger generation in Muong Luan continues to uphold traditional attire alongside efforts to preserve the Thai language. (Photo: Duy Linh)

Reflecting on how modern influences are gradually making their way into every household, Lo Van Panh, a respected community member in the village, shared his concerns while expressing his hopes for the younger generation:

“The roots of our Thai identity lie in our language, in the family meals around the hearth of our stilt houses, and in our traditional laments and folk songs. I am glad that our children and grandchildren are quickly embracing new things, but they must never forget their roots. I often tell them that wherever they go and whatever they do, once they step across the threshold of a stilt house, they must speak Thai and remember that they are Thai people. Fortunately, recently, people throughout the commune and its villages have become more conscious of this. They remind one another to preserve the beautiful traditions handed down by our ancestors. Only by doing so can our villages endure for generations to come.”

Modern challenges and concerns over cultural gaps

However, amid the currents of integration and development, efforts to preserve cultural identity in villages across Muong Luan Commune also face considerable challenges. As living standards improve, more young people leave their hometowns to seek employment elsewhere, while children are exposed to smartphones and social media at an increasingly early age. Consequently, opportunities to communicate in their mother tongue and time spent gathering around looms or enjoying the xoe dance have become somewhat more limited.

Many elderly residents in the commune cannot hide their concern when they see young people sometimes feeling hesitant about wearing traditional costumes or showing less interest in traditional folk songs. The pressures of making a living and the appeal of modern culture can sometimes create a generational gap, placing cultural continuity under strain.

Passing on traditional cultural practices helps sustain the spiritual life of the Thai community in Muong Luan, Dien Bien. (Photo: Duy Linh)

Nevertheless, this gap has not diminished the community's enduring vitality. In every village across Muong Luan Commune, the chain of cultural transmission has never been broken, sustained by the voluntary commitment of each family and the collective efforts of society as a whole.

Preservation begins with practical action

In recent years, efforts to keep Muong Luan's cultural heritage alive have taken on new and more practical forms. Rather than waiting for major initiatives, preservation begins with small actions embedded in the daily lives of local villages.

These include women's unions and youth groups proactively establishing cultural and arts clubs and encouraging women to wear traditional costumes during festivals, holidays and community gatherings. They also involve grandmothers and mothers making time each evening to teach their children and grandchildren the intricate needlework involved in embroidering piêu scarves and the graceful hand movements of the xoe dance. Equally important is the coordinated involvement of local Party committees and authorities in guiding community-based tourism development while ensuring that indigenous cultural values are preserved in their entirety throughout the commune.

Speaking with us about the direction of cultural preservation in the new era, Nguyen Trong Hue, Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Luan Commune, said: "Muong Luan Commune recognises that culture is not only the very essence and source of pride of the Thai people, but also an important resource for socio-economic development, particularly in promoting community-based tourism. We always encourage and create favourable conditions for villages to maintain traditional cultural spaces and activities, from preserving their spoken and written languages to their xoe dances. However, preservation does not mean standing still. It must go hand in hand with improving people's material living standards, enabling them to both maintain their cultural identity and take pride in improving their livelihoods and building prosperity on their own homeland."

Traditional culture continues to be preserved and promoted by ethnic communities in Muong Luan, Dien Bien. (Photo: Duy Linh)

When visitors from distant places arrive in Muong Luan Commune, step into welcoming stilt houses, enjoy meals rich in the flavours of the mountains and forests, and listen to the resonant sounds of the bamboo mouth organ, local residents come to realise that culture is not merely a memory to be preserved, but a valuable asset for sustainable development. This renewed sense of pride has breathed fresh life into young people across the villages, helping them understand that preserving their cultural identity means safeguarding their own future.

The hearth smoke and the rhythm of enduring life

As evening falls across the villages of Muong Luan Commune, soft golden sunlight falls upon the dark brown wooden walls and stretches across terraced fields awaiting the arrival of the irrigation waters. From the rooftops of stilt houses, wisps of evening kitchen smoke rise once again, mingling with the hazy mountain mist.

Preserving and promoting traditional culture is making a positive contribution to the continued development of Muong Luan, Dien Bien. (Photo: Duy Linh)

Standing amid the unspoilt surroundings of the Thai community in this remote border region, one suddenly realises that the vitality of an ethnic group does not lie in grand achievements, but in the enduring strength of values nurtured through every family meal, every traditional com blouse, every note of the bamboo mouth organ and every unbroken circle of the xoe dance. As long as the fire in the stilt-house hearth continues to glow, the cultural soul of the Thai people in Muong Luan Commune will endure through the passage of time, like an underground stream flowing ceaselessly through the heart of the vast forest.

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