The Dao people in Tả Phìn, Sa Pa, are among the few ethnic groups that possess their own script, with many still using it regularly today. Efforts to preserve and promote the value of the Nom Dao script heritage are being actively supported by local authorities and the community.

Tả Phìn Dao Red Village

Lào Cai is a northern mountainous province home to diverse ethnic groups such as the H’Mông, Dao, Tày, Giáy, La Chí, Phù Lá, and Hà Nhì, who predominantly reside in various villages and hamlets. Among these groups, only the Dao, Tày, Giáy, and Thái have developed their own scripts an achievement that stands as a testament to their cultural civilization. Currently, only the Dao ethnic group (including the three subgroups: Dao Đỏ, Dao Tuyển, and Dao Họ) in Lào Cai continue to have many people who regularly use the Dao Nom script.

The Dao script is an indispensable part of their daily lives, used for writing letters, seeking relatives, recording personal histories from birth, and composing greetings for traditional festivals like the spring singing festivals. The creation of the Dao script was driven by a desire among individuals to preserve their cultural identity, customs, and folk knowledge accumulated over generations evident through numerous books such as moral teachings, songs, poetry, embroidery tutorials, and calendars indicating auspicious and inauspicious days. Today, it is estimated that over 11,000 books of various contents are preserved across Dao villages in the province.

According to Dao customs in Lào Cai, skilled Dao shamans and teachers of the Dao Nom script often hold classes on the 2nd day of the lunar New Year, teaching children, relatives, and community members who wish to learn. This tradition symbolizes community efforts to pass down valuable knowledge teaching good morals, principles, and cultural practices to the younger generation at the beginning of each year. To this day, this custom continues in Dao villages, where classes are conducted by knowledgeable shamans and teachers.

Dao Children Learning to Write

Historically, Dao customs required boys to learn to read and write ancient texts in order to participate in the Sắc Lệnh (a traditional Dao ritual). As a result, there has been a strong focus on establishing classes to teach the Dao Nom script. Those who have been awarded Sắc and aim to become future shamans must be literate in their ethnic script.

Today, the number of people in Dao villages who can read and write the Dao Nom script is relatively large, demonstrating the vitality of this writing heritage. Its preservation and active practice are highly valued within the community.

Interior Space of a Dao Red House

In the past, Dao people only taught their script to boys; girls were not allowed to learn. However, this tradition has changed. Nowadays, learning is open to females, and there is no longer an age limit for males to study the script.

The Dao script is now widely used in rituals such as offerings, weddings, house dedications, funerals, New Year celebrations, and most notably, during the Sắc Lệnh ceremonies, which are considered the most unique and sacred.

To preserve and sustainably promote the written heritage and ancient books of the Dao people, there is no more effective approach than opening Nôm Dao script classes directly within the community, taught by local teachers from the community itself. Therefore, in addition to the classes initiated by local residents, supported classes have been implemented in recent times with assistance from the government. The Department has also paid attention to, and prepared dossiers to propose the recognition of outstanding artisans and master artisans who have made excellent contributions to the preservation of Dao cultural heritage. Through the team of artisans and respected community members, the work of protecting and promoting Dao ethnic culture and the Nôm Dao script heritage is always emphasized and valued.

The Dao script heritage was included in the List of intangible cultural heritage at the national level in 2012. To ensure that this heritage continues to thrive within the community, many experts believe that the province needs to establish a long-term plan to maintain the effectiveness of Nôm Dao script teaching classes; allocate funding to support the transmission and community-based classes (covering expenses for boards, chalk, paper, ink, books, learning tools, etc.); continue researching, translating, and publishing ancient books of the Dao people; and implement digitalization of the Nôm Dao heritage…