(VOVWORLD) - Among the hill sides rising up to Dong Van karst plateau in Ha Giang province, travelers are stunned by the magnificent natural landscape, lush terraced fields, and peaceful villages of Mong people. Hidden behind grey stone fences, the earthen houses of the Mong create a mysterious scene in the high mountains.

(VOVWORLD) -The Dao Thanh Phan in Binh Lieu district, Quang Ninh province, celebrate a “Wind prevention” Festival on the 4th day of the 4th lunar month. This year it was held on May 19th of the solar calendar as part of the Ha Long-Quang Ninh National Tourism Year.

(VOVWORLD) -The Mang ethnic minority people live in served mountain districts in Lai Chau province. Like other ethnic groups, they have upheld traditional customs and practices for generations while absorbing modern cultural trends.

(VOVWORLD) -The La Ha people live in Vietnam’s northwestern region, mainly in Lao Cai, Son La, and Lai Chau province. In the past they lived off the land in isolated remote mountains, where they developed unique customs and rituals.

(VOVWORLD) - Worshipping goddesses of Motherhood, the protectors of babies, is an important ritual of the Red Dao in Lao Cai province. Their ceremony pays gratitude to the goddesses and asks them to bless a baby with good health and obedience.

(VOVWORLD) - Thanh Son district in Phu Tho province has launched a program to preserve and promote Muong culture by establishing cultural spaces in schools.

(VOVWORLD) - The Muong in Vo Mieu commune, Phu Tho province, have actively responded to national campaigns that encourage people to unite to develop new rural areas and a cultural lifestyle. While adopting a modern lifestyle, they have preserved and promoted their traditional culture.

(VOVWORLD) -The Co Tu ethnic people live mostly in the Tay Giang district of Quang Nam province. They live apart from other ethnic groups and have developed a unique culture. As their lives depend largely on nature, the Co Tu hold a ceremony to express their gratitude to the forest before planting each new crop.

(VOVWORLD) - Spring is the season of festivals across Vietnam. For ethnic groups in mountain regions, spring festivals are opportunities to relax and pray for a good new year. Each ethnic group in Vietnam observes its traditional festivals with unique cultural and spiritual features. In the northwestern region the first and second lunar month sees the Long Tong or Going to the field Festival of the Tay and Nung, the Peace Praying Ritual of the Thai and Muong, and the Gau Tao Festival of the Mong. Nguyen Ban, a cultural official in Ha Giang province, says:

(VOVWORLD) -The earthen houses with mossy roofs of the Black Ha Nhi in Y Ty district, Lao Cai province, look like mushrooms in the clouds. When sunshine banishes the clouds, the earthen houses appear on the mountainside as in a fairy land. VOV introduces the uniqueness of the Black Ha Nhi’s architecture.