For more than two decades, Ho Van Minh and Ho Thi Ha, a husband-and-wife team from Phuoc Tra Commune, Da Nang City, have devoted themselves to teaching traditional gong performances, making ethnic costumes and preserving the cultural heritage of the Ca Dong people.

A lifetime devoted to safeguarding the Ca Dong people's treasures

Inside the couple's modest wooden home in Tra Son Village, traditional costumes, gongs, woven baskets and bamboo trays occupy the most honored place.

To them, these are more than everyday objects - they are treasured heirlooms that embody the spirit and identity of the Ca Dong people.

From an early age, Ha was captivated by the graceful gong dances and the vibrant traditional clothing worn by village girls during festivals. She learned weaving, beadwork and jewelry making from older women in the community while practicing each dance step to the rhythm of the gongs.

As she grew older, she began creating her own traditional costumes and became one of the community's most knowledgeable keepers of Ca Dong culture in the mountainous area of Phuoc Tra.

According to Minh, traditional festivals celebrated by the Ca Dong people, including the New Rice Festival and the Betel Flower Ceremony, would be unimaginable without gong performances, traditional dances and ethnic costumes.

"The sound of the gongs is not only an expression of gratitude to heaven and earth or a prayer for abundant harvests. It is also what binds our community together and reminds younger generations of their roots," Minh said.

The traditional outfit Ha wears was made entirely by her own hands.

Hundreds of beads are carefully sewn into earrings, necklaces, anklets and belts, forming intricate patterns that each carry their own cultural meaning.

"Everything our ancestors left behind lives on in every stitch and every bead. We can be creative, but we must never lose the identity of the Ca Dong people," Ha said.

Besides making traditional clothing, Ha is also skilled in weaving everyday household items such as backpacks, baskets and rice-sifting trays.

What worries her most, however, is that fewer young people today are learning these traditional crafts.

Inspiring the next generation to embrace their heritage

By the 1990s, only a handful of people in the community still knew how to make traditional costumes or perform gong dances.

Concerned that these cultural traditions might disappear, Minh and Ha established the Tra Va Gong Troupe in 1999.

After long days working in the fields, they gathered villagers together to teach gong performances, traditional dances and costume making.

Today, although age has made it difficult for them to perform with the same agility as before, the couple continues to teach children and young people in the village the basic dance movements while passing on their knowledge and love of Ca Dong culture.

"Traditional culture cannot be learned in just a few days. It takes years of dedication. Making a beautiful traditional costume also requires patience, meticulous craftsmanship and a deep understanding of our culture," Ha said.

Beyond preserving cultural traditions, Minh and Ha are respected community leaders who have long encouraged villagers to abandon outdated customs, send their children to school, improve their livelihoods and build stronger communities.

Minh spent many years serving as village chief and village police officer, and he remains one of the few people in the community who still owns a traditional set of gongs.

The traditional costumes handmade by Ha are often lent out for festivals and community cultural events.

Now in their later years, the couple continues to patiently preserve every dance, every gong performance and every carefully stitched traditional costume, hoping the cultural flame of the Ca Dong people will continue to be carried forward by future generations.

According to Pham Thi Hue, Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Division of Phuoc Tra Commune, Minh and Ha are highly respected members of the community whose lifelong commitment has made a significant contribution to preserving Ca Dong cultural heritage.

Beyond safeguarding traditional customs, the couple has remained dedicated to teaching younger generations, helping ensure that the cultural identity of the Ca Dong people in the mountainous region of Phuoc Tra endures.

Ho Giap - Ha Nam