Amidst the deep green mountains and forests of Khanh Son Commune, Hon Dung Village captivates visitors with its fresh climate, lush fruit orchards, and the unique traditional culture of the Raglai people. Notably, every Saturday evening, the “Raglai Colors” program takes place at the Hon Dung Village Longhouse. Coming here, visitors have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the local cultural space through musical performances, lithophone playing, and exploring traditional customs, costumes, cuisine, as well as interacting with the local people.
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| Visitors are introduced to, guided, and directly experience playing the lithophone. |
Hon Dung Village Longhouse is the village's only traditional longhouse, preserving the distinctive cultural traits of the Raglai people. Inside the longhouse, musical instruments such as the gourd khene, chapi zither, ma la, and a lithophone set are on display, evoking the rich cultural and spiritual life of the locals. The longhouse space also impresses with the lithophone set solemnly placed in the center. The stone slabs with unique shapes and resonant sounds captivate visitors. Through the introduction by Ms. Mau Thi Thuy Ngan, visitors not only learn about the origin and meaning of the musical instruments, but also have the chance to directly try playing them. Enthusiastically tapping each stone slab, Ms. Nguyen Thuy Hoang Oanh, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: “This is the first time I have seen with my own eyes and tried playing the lithophone. These seemingly ordinary stone slabs can produce such echoing sounds. Through this experience, I understand more about the unique culture of the Raglai people.”
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| Raglai girls perform a traditional dance in the “Raglai Colors” program at the Hon Dung Village Longhouse. |
Ms. Mau Thi Bach, Head of Hon Dung Village, shared: “Not only does it preserve traditional musical instruments, the longhouse is also a space for the younger generation to learn and carry on the cultural values of their ancestors, while introducing Raglai cultural identity to visitors coming to Hon Dung.”
The journey of discovering Raglai culture continues with an artistic performance program. In particular, the dance performances by local children bring great emotion to visitors. Dressed in traditional attire, the children confidently showcase graceful, innocent folk dances to the beat of the ma la. The tiny footsteps and radiant smiles not only create a joyful atmosphere, but also reflect the younger generation's love and continuation of their ethnic group's traditional culture.
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| Village Head Mau Thi Bach introduces traditional ruou can (tube wine) of the Raglai people to visitors. |
The atmosphere of interaction becomes even more vibrant as visitors enjoy traditional cultural performances while sipping ruou can carrying the flavors of the mountains and forests. When the warmth of the ruou can still lingers, a fire is lit amidst the mountain setting, and everyone holds hands in a circle, moving in rhythm with traditional dances to the resounding echoes of ma la gongs. That is also the moment visitors can fully immerse themselves in the communal cultural life of the Raglai people.
After cultural experiences rich in Raglai identity, visitors can stop by stalls set up right within the grounds of the Hon Dung Village Longhouse to choose characteristic products of the Khanh Son region. Fruits such as durians and pomelos, along with traditional handicraft products, not only bring the flavors and distinctive traits of the mountains and forests but also convey stories about the culture and people here, helping visitors preserve beautiful memories after their journey of discovery.
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| Children of Hon Dung Village perform a traditional dance of the Raglai people. |
According to Ms. Mau Thi Le Thu - Vice Chairperson of the People's Committee of Khanh Son Commune, starting from June 2026, the commune has been piloting the cultural program "Colors of Raglai" at the Hon Dung Village Longhouse, from 17:00 to 21:30 every Saturday. After more than 3 months of operation, the program has welcomed 15 groups with over 450 visits, including 3 international groups coming to learn about and experience Raglai culture. The locality has determined that preserving intact the Raglai cultural identity—from longhouse architecture and traditional musical instruments such as ma la gongs and lithophones to indigenous cuisine—is the core foundation for creating differentiation for its community-based tourism products. The commune will focus on promoting heritage transmission and organizing classes directly guided by artisans on ma la gong performances and epic singing for the village's younger generation, step by step building a successor force and contributing to preserving and promoting long-term traditional cultural values.
THUY NHU
