On January 5 - 6, 2023, in Hòa Bình city of Hòa Bình province, the Vietnamese Institute for Musicology in collaboration with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hòa Bình province organized the international conference “Mo Mường and similar forms of rituals and beliefs in the world”. Tis is one of significant activities to supplement the scientific information for the building of the Mo Mường National File. The National File will be submitted to UNESCO for the recognition in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.

The international conference also served the purpose of introducing and propagating the Mo Mường heritage to international scholars. The conference received special consideration and participation of Mr. Bùi Văn Khánh – Deputy Secretary of the Hòa Bình Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of People’s Committee of Hòa Bình province; Mr. Hoàng Đạo Cương, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam; delegates who are leaders of Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and leaders of Department of Culture and Sports of seven provinces and cities where the Mo Mường heritage is practiced; international scholars from such countries as France, Austria, Greece, the United States of America, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), Thailand, and Malaysia; Vietnam’s scientists and the Mo Mường folk artists.

The conference received twenty-seven papers, including eighteen papers of folk artists, researchers and cultural managers of seven provinces and cities who are currently holding the Mo Mường cultural heritage (where the Mo Mường heritage is practiced). Those seven provinces and cities are Hòa Bình, Ninh Bình, Thanh Hóa, Sơn La, Phú Thọ, Hanoi, and Đắk Lắk. The rest nine papers are from international researchers and experts on the conservation of cultural heritages. Papers at the conference focused on three
major issues: 1) Features and values of the Mo Mường cultural heritage 2) Introduce some forms of rituals and beliefs that have similar aspects to Mo Mường 3) The actual state of Mo Mường heritage in Vietnam and proposals for preservation.

At the conference, delegates discussed and contributed the scientifc foundation and opinions in order to clarify the role and essence values of the Mo Mường heritage in the past and present. This opened up a more comprehensive view of Mo Mường, a special form of intangible culture of the Mường ethnic group in Vietnam. Delegates, researchers and folk artists also raised the suggestions, orientation and methods for the purpose of preserving the Mo cultural values in the life of the Mường people today.

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