Thứ Năm, 13/08/2026 - 11:31

The unique drum festival of the Ma Coong people

Roa lữ Giàng ơi! Roa lữ Giàng ơi... The cheers of thousands of people seem to tear through the night sky amidst the majestic Truong Son mountains on festival night, with a bright moon hanging high over Cà Roòng village. The Ma Coong people are in a frenzy during their Drum Beat Festival. Once the drumhead shatters, loving hearts are granted a “night of total freedom”, trembling together in harmony with the eternal breath of the wilderness. Enticed by a young writer's story, I traveled to Cà Roòng village to arrive when the festival began, as if fulfilling a long-awaited promise.

The drum is hung on the stand before sunset during the festival night.jpg — The drum is hung on the stand before sunset during the festival night – Photo: Thanh Thu

The masters of the Trường Sơn wilderness

From Đồng Hới (Quảng Trị Province), I traveled up the mountains along Highway 20 - Quyết Thắng, a legendary route during the war, to reach Cà Roòng 1 village. The road winds through the Trương Sơn mountain range, appearing and disappearing in the morning mist like a silk ribbon draped across the world natural heritage site of Phong Nha – Kẻ Bàng National Park. With cliffs on one side and deep abysses on the other, even though now a paved road, it remains a daunting journey for the faint of heart.

Approximately 300 households live scattered across 18 villages along the Vietnam-Laos border in Thượng Trạch, Bố Trạch, Quàng Bình. The Drum Beat Festival occurs annually at the beginning of Spring in Cà Roòng, considered the sacred land of the Ma Coong.

The drum playing custom carries a spiritual meaning that the Ma Coong have carried forward for generations. Held when the upland rice and corn ripen, the festival serves to “call the rice home” and pray for favorable weather. The common belief holds that the faster the drum breaks, the more bountiful the next harvest. During the ritual, the village elder prays to Giàng (God) not only for prosperity but also for a night of love for his people.

Over bowls of hiêng wine (the first infusion of jar wine), Village Head Đinh Xon shared the legend behind the festival: An old monkey once possessed a magic drum and every harvest, the monkey would beat the drum, causing all the villagers' wealth and crops to fly into its home, leaving the Ma Coong in poverty. The villagers eventually plotted to steal the drum on the brightest moonlit night while the monkey drunkenly slept. They brought the drum home, set up an altar for Giàng, and beat the drum. The monkey fled, and from then on, the Ma Coong prospered.

Artisans and local young men craft a new drum for the New Year's Eve festival.jpg — Artisans and local young men craft a new drum for the New Year's Eve festival - Photo: Thanh Thu

Ancient rituals

According to elder Đinh Sầm of Bụt village, the streams flowing through the forest act as the lifeblood of the Ma Coong. One specific section, called Cấm Stream (Forbidden Stream), is strictly protected, with fishing forbidden for most of the year in order to allow the fish to spawn. This prohibition marks the Ma Coong’s deep-rooted environmental consciousness. Only after the festival can the villagers fish freely.

Before the festival night, even in the freezing cold, the Village Head must catch exactly 12 “sacred fish” from Cấm Stream for the offering. On the festival morning, five of the strongest young men go into the forest to gather bamboo and rattan to construct the drum.

The unique Ma Coong drum’s frame comes from a hollowed-out mature treetrunk - some over 100 years old. The drumhead, being punctured in the ceremony, gets replaced every year. While once using wild mountain goat skin for the head, the villagers now use buffalo hide to protect rare wildlife. They use rattan cords and bamboo wedges to stretch the skin, giving the drum a rugged, “thorny” appearance.

The offerings include:

- 4 trays of food: Each containing a chicken (symbolizing prosperous livestock) and sticky rice (symbolizing bountiful crops).

- Forest products: Rattan shoots, bamboo shoots, and Đoác wine.

- Sacred fish: 4 fish per tray to honor the four spirits: Mountain, Forest, Giàng, and Ma xó - the Household Spirit.

The village elder leads the ritual offering to the spirits before the drum beating festival begins.jpg — The village elder leads the ritual offering to the spirits before the drum-beating festival begins - Photo: Thanh Thu

The drunken “Night of extramarital affairs”

When the ritual ends, the Village Head strikes the drum three times to officially open the festival. Waves of young men, elders, children, and even visitors from Laos join in, beating the drum with all their might while shouting: “Roa lữ Giàng ơi!” (So happy, oh God!).

Young women dress in their finest traditional skirts, perfumed and radiant. While the drums thunder, boys and girls flirt and exchange gifts. As midnight approaches and the wine takes hold, the atmosphere turns electric. The drum receives the full force of the villagers' strength. Each strike explodes like a frantic heartbeat until - CRACK - the drumhead shatters.

In that instant, the crowd goes silent. Then, couples take each other's hands and disappear into the forest. This one night sees no jealousy or anger - only passionate love. Traditional social rules suspended, people follow their heart’s rhythm.

I left Cà Roòng the next morning as the mist still clung to the trees. The festival had ended, but the echoes of the drums and the lingering romantic melodies followed me all the way home.

HOANG BUI

Vietnam Destination Review - Special Issue No. 1 (May 2026)