(VOVworld) – The culture of an ethnic minority group is under threat of extinction as modern society develops. The Thai ethnic group in Muong Lay township of Dien Bien province has their own way to preserve the best of their traditions.

A traditional dance called Xoe of the Thai ethnic group in Vietnam

When we arrived in Na Lay ward of Muong Lay Township, there was a competition of traditional costumes and household appliances for local Thai people. Boys in indigo attires and girls in close-fitting dresses were busy arranging items while awaiting for their turn to perform. Lo Van Manh, a culture staffer of Na Lay ward, told us: “This is the first time we have organized such a program. Through this competition, we hope to restore appliances and utensils of the Thai. Hamlets and villages have enthusiastically responded to this program”.

The competition is part of a project to preserve and promote ethnic culture in association with socio-economic development in Muong Lay township until 2015. Tran Thi Huong Giang, Head of the Culture and Information division of Muong Lay, told VOV:“We aim to safeguard the age-old traditional culture of the Thai from daily costumes to ethnic language. Efforts should be made to teach the younger generations how to protect their ethnic values”.

Through the project, particularly the competitions and quiz shows, locals learn the importance of preserving their ethnic traditions. Lo Thi Lien, a resident of Na Lay ward, said: “We speak the Thai language at home as a way to preserve our ethnicity’s language although our children learn the Kinh majority language at school. We only speak the Kinh language to those who cannot speak Thai”.

Culture preservation is incorporated into the movement to build a healthy lifestyle in residential areas. As a result, attention has been given to amateur art troupes, which number 30 in Muong Lay Township. Every weekend these troupes rehearse traditional dances with conical hats, fans and scarves and sing folk melodies to the accompaniment of the guitar-like instruments called the Then and the Tinh tau. Tran Thi Huong Giang told us: “Currently, there is a dance group, whose members are over 60 years old in Lay Nua commune. They are responding to the urgent need to teach the art to the local youth. A choreographer and a musician are sent by the townships’ culture office to attend this class to retrain the members of Muong Lay’s 34 art troupes. All of them are taught how to perform Thai folk dance”.

Giang also told us about other efforts to preserve the Thai culture: “We persuade families to make traditional costumes for their children to wear during festivals. It’s compulsory for school children to wear traditional attire every Friday. During extracurricular activities, children are told folk tales and educated about ethnic pride and traditions so that hopefully they will promote the best of their ethnic culture”.

Thai writing is also given attention, according to Giang: “The education office is implementing a project to teach the Thai language in schools. During the 2012-2013 academic year, a pilot program was carried out for third-grade pupils in Lay Nua commune and 65 children were taught the Thai language. This year the project will continue for the fourth-grade pupils”.