Hanoi's highland people "bustling" to celebrate Independence Day

On the days leading up to September 2, the villages at the foot of Ba Vi Mountain... everywhere are bustling with laughter. The red flag with yellow star flutters on the roofs and gates; on the newly opened concrete road, on the colorful stadium... In the mountainous area west of the capital, where the Dao people in Ba Vi commune; Muong people in Suoi Hai, Yen Bai, Yen Xuan communes live... Independence Day is a major holiday of the year. Independence Day is not only a holiday, but also an occasion for cultural convergence, family reunion, village bonding, and also an occasion to express faith and pride in the country.

Folk dance performance of Yen Xuan Commune Women's Union on the morning of August 30, 2025. Photo by Minh Phu

Family and village together

These days, the festive atmosphere is everywhere in Ba Vi. Mr. Duong Kim Lien, a Dao ethnic in Yen Son village, Ba Vi, smiled kindly: I just hung the national flag; together with the people, I cleaned the alleys to welcome Independence Day. This Tet is the 80th year since the State organized a military parade - the joyful atmosphere from the city spread throughout the Ba Vi mountain village. Mr. Lien said: My family has a traditional traditional medicine profession, in addition, we also raise chickens and grow Bat Bo bamboo shoots, so the economy has improved a lot. "My family has built a spacious 2-storey house. I have 3 children who are all grown up and have their own families. Every year on Independence Day, I cook and call my children and grandchildren to come home to gather" - Mr. Lien said.

Also in Ba Vi commune, Ms. Duong Thi Quynh, a Dao ethnic person, said: Independence Day in Ba Vi is always happy and warm every year. This year, implementing the 2-level local government model, from July 1, 2025, Ba Vi commune was formed on the basis of merging the communes: Ba Vi, Khanh Thuong Minh Quang of the old Ba Vi district. Ba Vi commune today is the commune with the largest area in Hanoi , most of the area is hills and mountains located in the buffer zone and core zone of Ba Vi National Park. This is also the farthest place from the center of the capital with a distance of nearly 100km. It is a commune with Kinh, Dao, Muong ethnic people living... with many unique features.

Yen Bai village is ablaze with red flags to celebrate the 80th anniversary of National Day, September 2. Photo by Minh Phu

The new commune is large but has the close attention and direction of the Party Committee and the government, so all activities take place smoothly and rhythmically. On September 2 this year, in addition to the exciting cultural, artistic, physical education and sports activities, many children living far away from home also returned, making the village more bustling... Many families slaughtered pigs and chickens to celebrate Independence Day. "The Dao people often organize meals within the family. On holidays, children have a day off from school, and people living far away have a day off to return to their hometown, so families are often full, gathering together, preparing traditional dishes such as grilled meat, sticky rice, stream fish... These dishes not only entertain guests but also remind children and grandchildren to preserve and promote national identity" - Ms. Quynh said.

Leaving Ba Vi commune, going to Suoi Hai, Yen Bai, Yen Xuan communes where many Muong people live, the atmosphere of Independence Day is equally exciting. All the roads in the communes are decorated with colorful flags, banners, slogans... Many cultural and sports activities in the communes take place enthusiastically, including the "specialty" of the Muong people, which is the melodious gong melodies that echo throughout the mountains and forests. Ms. Doan Thi Thinh, President of the Women's Union of Yen Xuan commune happily said: In the villages, Independence Day is not only an occasion for fun, but also an opportunity to unite the community.

In Yen Bai commune, many village cultural houses resounded with the sound of gongs, the Xoe dance, and the Sap dance, bustling and attracting footsteps. Some women dressed in traditional costumes participated in the performances. Bai village chief - Nguyen Tien Luc said: The whole village has more than 250 households, 65% of which are Muong people. To welcome National Day, following the direction of the commune, the village mobilized the entire population to participate in general environmental sanitation on Saturdays and Sundays; and promoted families to hang the national flag. On this occasion, families also often cook Tet meals with typical dishes, making the atmosphere of the mountains and forests more bustling and joyful.

The road is brilliant with the red flag with yellow star of Yen Bai commune. Photo: Minh Phu

Connecting villages, looking towards the Fatherland

Head of the Department of Culture and Society of Ba Vi Commune Nguyen Van Hung said: To celebrate the success of the Commune Party Congress and major national holidays, Ba Vi Commune organized many cultural, artistic and sports activities to create a vibrant atmosphere among the people such as: Volleyball tournament between villages and schools; art programs... In particular, to serve the people, the city arranged for Ba Vi Commune to install 2 large LED screens at central locations in Khanh Thuong area and the intersection of the road to Den Trung so that people could watch the parade live from Ba Dinh Square. At the same time, the commune sent representatives of cadres, party members and people to be present at the Commune People's Committee hall early in the morning of September 2 to watch the parade online. "Ba Vi is a commune far from the city center, so the live images transmitted from Ba Dinh to the mountains and forests are meaningful, creating a close and joyful atmosphere among the people" - Mr. Nguyen Van Hung said.

On the occasion of National Day this year, the highland communes in Hanoi have promoted propaganda work in many forms, and organized many healthy recreational activities to strengthen solidarity among ethnic groups and encourage people of all walks of life to promote patriotic emulation movements. Sports competitions and art performances have attracted a large number of local people to participate.

Healthy recreational activities were organized on the occasion of National Day. Photo: Minh Phu

In Yen Xuan commune - a newly established commune on the basis of the communes: Yen Trung, Yen Binh, Dong Xuan, Tien Xuan, which are 4 communes of Hoa Binh province, were merged into Hanoi city in 2008. These days, women in the commune are enthusiastically practicing art performances to organize a concert on the National Day. According to the President of the Women's Union of Yen Xuan commune, Doan Thi Thinh, the event has the participation of 400 women with elaborately staged performances on the background music: "Come to my Vietnamese people"; "Solidarity dance"... This is an activity that contributes to educating the tradition of patriotism, promoting national pride, and awareness of training of women in Yen Xuan commune...

The joy of Hanoi's mountainous people when playing volleyball. Photo: Minh Phu

It is easy to see that in the mountainous communes of Hanoi, in the joy of Independence Day, people are always aware of preserving their identity, and at the same time, they are eager to rise up. Dao dances and Muong gongs not only resound in festivals, but are also included in mass art troupes, becoming a regular feature. Ms. Le Thi Thu, Head of the Gong Club of Yen Binh Village 2 (Yen Xuan Commune) said: "We Muong ethnic people are given more conditions to preserve our cultural identity. The village is supported with 2 sets of gongs, and a new, spacious cultural house is built." Independence Day is an opportunity for us to strengthen our solidarity, arouse pride, thereby encouraging people to actively work in production, and build a new, rich rural area.

If at Ba Dinh Square, the whole country rejoiced in the military parade, then in Ba Vi, Yen Bai, Suoi Hai, Yen Xuan…, the people also joined in the same rhythm. Independence Day has become a bridge, so that the Dao and Muong people in the Ba Vi mountains feel closer to Hanoi, closer to the Fatherland. Every beat of the festival drum, every beat of the gong, every dance on this day resonates with pride.

Late in the afternoon, when leaving Ba Vi, the sound of gongs still echoed in the mountain wind. The small, pretty houses of the ethnic minorities on the mountainside, brightly decorated with flags and flowers, gradually faded away. In that mountainous area, Independence Day is not only a holiday, but also a part of life, a link connecting families and villages with the Fatherland, a testament to the enduring vitality of the culture of the capital's ethnic minorities. And on the new development path, in the midst of the new rural construction, Independence Day will certainly still be a source of invaluable spiritual strength, adding confidence and pride for the ethnic minorities in the mountains and forests of Ba Vi and the capital Hanoi to move forward steadily.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nguoi-vung-cao-ha-noi-chon-ron-don-tet-doc-lap-714634.html