CULTURAL CHANGE IN MUONG PEOPLE’S HOUSING IN THANH HOA IN THE PERIOD OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC INNOVATION

Abstract

Housing culture is one of the prominent identities of Muong people. However, these days Muong stilt houses are disappearing spontaneously at an increasingly rapid pace. To facilitate the effective preservation of the houses, we have conducted a study to evaluate cultural change in the housing of the Muong people in Thanh Hoa during the innovation period. What positive and negative aspects are included in such a change? What should be preserved and in what way? By means of survey methods, interviews, fieldwork,… the study shows that pictures of the traditional stilt houses of the Muong in Thanh Hoa have undergone numerous changes. In many villages, the so-called stilt houses only retain little of their traditional character. This has been brought about by many causes such as urbanization speed, new cultural life establishment, degradation,..., whereby this paper proposes a number of measures to preserve traditional houses of the Muong people in Thanh Hoa.