In Ta Loong residential area at year’s end, when plum blossoms wash the hillsides in white, Dao Tien women settle into a quieter rhythm - bent over indigo cloth, racing to finish traditional garments in time for festivals and the Lunar New Year. Hands long accustomed to farming move deftly now, guiding needle and thread to form intricate motifs on dark, wax-dyed fabric.

“Dao clothing is a harmonious blend of beeswax-dyed indigo, the vivid colours of embroidery threads, and decorative accessories that highlight a woman’s beauty,” said Ly Thi Son.

The craft, she explained, is passed down from mothers and grandmothers through generations. Before marriage, a Dao girl is expected to sew skirts and clothing for her family by hand. Even as life changes, Son continues to teach her children and grandchildren to embroider, helping keep an ancestral identity alive.

Alongside traditional dress, the Dao place great care on preserving their performing arts, none more emblematic than the bell dance. In the choreography, a small bronze bell serves as the central prop, its bright chime setting a rhythmic, energetic tempo that is both buoyant and robust.

The sound of bells accompanies most Dao rituals, with each dance carrying its own cadence and meaning. Performed at the start of the year, the bell dance expresses hopes for fertile fields and abundant harvests; staged again at year’s end, it becomes a celebration of plenty - an offering of thanks to ancestors and to heaven and earth for favourable weather, bumper crops, and a year of growing prosperity.

Ban Van Dan, a local resident, said the bell dance is a distinctive cultural expression of the Dao Tien people, sustained across generations. During festivals and holidays, hamlets come alive with the resonant chime of bells - a sacred dance that binds the community together and serves as a reminder for younger generations to remember their roots.

Beyond folk songs and dances, the Dao community maintains a rich calendar of distinctive festivals, including Pung Hieng, the Jumping New Year, and the Cap sac maturity ritual. Each reflects Dao spiritual beliefs, vividly expressing the community’s worldview and understanding of life.

Ban Van Giap, a respected elder in Ta Loong, said Dao Tien families have preserved their rituals and ancestral faiths. Men and women, young people and elders alike, take part once they come of age - learning folk songs and dances, playing drums and gongs, and making traditional costumes. Older generations pass down their knowledge to the young, working together to create engaging performances. As a result, these cultural traditions continue to thrive today.

To ensure their cultural traditions do not fade, the Dao community in Ta Loong organises classes to pass down ancestral practices - from embroidery and antiphonal singing to the Cap sac ritual.

Ban Van Giap, secretary of the Party cell and head of the residential area, said Ta Loong is home to 236 households and 1,138 residents from five ethnic groups, with the Dao accounting for about 90%. He noted that the Dao community has a strong awareness of safeguarding its distinctive cultural traditions while linking them to tourism development.

Artisans are encouraged to pass on their skills within the community, grassroots cultural facilities have received increased investment, and the neighborhood’s core performing arts group regularly takes part in cultural exchanges at events both within and beyond the province. Together, these efforts help preserve and promote cultural heritage, while fostering a united, safe, and prosperous community.

The harmony between the sweeping landscapes of the Moc Chau Plateau and the Dao community’s commitment to preserving and promoting its cultural heritage in Ta Loong is enriching local spiritual life, while creating a distinctive allure that opens new opportunities for tourism-led economic growth.