MUONG ETHNIC GROUP CULTURAL SPACE MUSEUM IN HOA BINH

 7 kilometers from Hòa Bình city center and 70 kilometers north of Hanoi stands the Muong Ethnic Group Cultural Space Museum, the first private museum in Hoa Binh province, and the only museum in Vietnam devoted to Muong culture.

The first thing visitors see is water spilling over rock formation into a stream flanked by rice mortars, a reflection of the unique cultural identity of the Muong people. The centuries-old Muong culture is captured in two sections: a reenactment section and a display section. The reenactment section contains 4 Muong stilt houses that illustrate the social stratification of feudal society. The Muong houses are differentiated by social status - the “Lang” house for the most powerful families, the “Âu” house for the mandarins, the “Tạo” house for ordinary people, and the “Nõ” house for the lowest class, such as widows and orphans. Further on are display rooms which showcase traditional Muong handicrafts such as knitted woven and embroidered fabrics, tools for hunting and farming, and items used in festivals, traditional observances, and religious practice. Visitor Ngô Thu Nga from Hanoi told VOV: "I am grateful for the initiative, love of Muong culture, and effort that created these displays and this museum."          A corner of the museum in Hoa Binh province. (Photo: internet) The museum was founded by a painter born and raised in Hanoi, whose heart belongs to the Muong culture. A gratitude of the Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts and the Hanoi University of Fine Art, Vũ Đức Hiếu travelled widely collecting artifacts, researching the Muong culture, and seeking a suitable venue for the museum. His initiative to create the Muong Ethnic Group Cultural Space Museum was enthusiastically supported by the Hoa Binh provincial Department of Culture and Sports, administrators at all levels, and the Muong people. After ten years of planning and a year of construction, the 2-hectare museum officially opened on December 16th, 2007. It not only reflects Muong life and culture, it also hosts community art performances. The director of the museum, painter Vũ Đức Hiếu, says: "The museum presents Muong society through artifacts and actual ethnic minority people who live and work right here. We hope the reenactment and display will give visitors a better understanding of Muong people’s life and culture."