Visit the Western region of Nghe An to explore Muong Chieng Ngam

Chieng Ngam means a crowded and beautiful land. Chieng or "chieng" used to be the center of the Muong, so it was crowded and happy. Ngam means beautiful. This word is more common in Lao, but the Thai people still use it to name places and people with a solemn meaning. This land borders on one side the mountainous area of Chau Thuan commune, called Muong Chai. On the other side, it borders Chau Thang commune and the Nam Giai river, which acts as a natural boundary between Chieng Ngam and Que Phong district. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

The Thai people in the region have a song that is often mentioned by artists when tourists come to visit: “Muong Chieng Ngam eats fish from three rivers”. These are the small rivers Nam Giai, Nam Hat and Nam Quang, tributaries of the Hieu River. The three rivers have created alluvial banks of hundreds of hectares, so Chieng Ngam has become the place where the most rice is grown in Quy Chau district. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

In Ban Hoa Tien, Chau Tien commune, Chieng Ngam district, there used to be a Sam family that held the position of Quy Chau District Chief for many generations. This title, called Tho Tri Phu, started in the 19th century and was allowed by the royal court to be passed down within the family. The Thai script was once quite popular during the feudal and French colonial periods. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

Since 2010, this place has begun to develop according to the policy of developing community tourism of the whole Nghe An province. The cultural features of the Chieng Ngam people have become a strength for tourism development. The brocade weaving and silkworm farming professions have been restored. The Lai Tay script, one of the writing systems that was previously used, has been restored and taught. Folk songs and musical instruments of the Thai people have also been created and taught by artisans. Photo: Huu Vi

Collecting and preserving ancient costumes. In the photo is the costume of Mrs. Nang Hong, wife of Mr. Sam Van Vien - the last District Chief of Quy Chau. Photo: Huu Vi

Festivals such as Hang Bua festival held in January and Pu Xua festival in the ninth lunar month are still maintained regularly every year. Among them, Pu Xua festival is a special spiritual worship ceremony. On the festival day, people gather at the ancient tree called “pu xua” of each village to worship the gods, the rulers of the land, to pray for peace and good crops. Folk songs are still maintained during festivals, holidays, weddings, etc. Traditional costumes and the custom of drinking rice wine are still quite popular. Photo: Huu Vi

The Muong Chieng Ngam people are mainly Thai people, who have cultivated wet rice for hundreds of years and are still maintaining water wheels to irrigate the fields. Therefore, the villages have long not had the custom of shifting cultivation or nomadic life, but have focused on developing a rather unique cultural area with indigenous lifestyles maintained in ancient stilt houses. Photo: Dinh Tuyen

In addition to the unique wet rice culture, the Thai people in Chieng Ngam grow mulberry, raise silkworms, weave brocade and preserve the stilt house culture, the custom of drinking rice wine and other cultural features that make visitors to this land still have good impressions. Photo: Huu Vi

Today, when coming to Chieng Ngam, visitors can see a new appearance but the ancient cultural features are still preserved. The sound of panpipes, flutes, and gong festivals still resound under the stilt houses. These cultural features are now expressed in art performances and festivals welcoming visitors. An ancient Chieng Ngam, a renewed and developed Chieng Ngam is a vivid picture that people from afar can easily recognize when coming to this land. Photo: Huu Vi

Source: https://baonghean.vn/ve-mien-tay-xu-nghe-kham-pha-muong-chieng-ngam-post277881.html