Senh tien stick dance in Gau Tao festival of H'mong. 

Mr. Ly Seo Ho's family in Ban Pho 2 village has 5 generations born and raised on the land of Ban Pho. Although he is 78 years old, his cleverness and agility with profound knowledge about H’mong culture helps him become a "repository of living documents" about his people.

Talking about the profound meaning of senh tien dance, Mr. Ly Seo Ho said: Previously, in the fight against the enemy and defending the village, senh tien stick was one of the 18 weapons such as mace, blade, spear, sword ... Senh tien dance hides the traditional martial arts of the H’mong people. Those are movements of rotation and foot kick that at first glance, viewers can think of simply dancing. Therefore, in the past, those who could dance with sticks were those who knew martial arts and could become warriors when needed. In a parade of soldiers, the senh tien stick dancers always take the lead, followed by the pan-pipe team and other weapon teams.

According to Mr. Ly Seo Ho, senh tien stick dance from the H’mong people is later used in festivals and community cultural activities. This dance is performed before starting other activities and should be considered as the opening performance. The dance is for both men and women, regardless of age, but young people dance more often than. The dance is associated with musical instruments, it is a unique senh tien stick.

Senh tien stick is a musical instrument made of a piece of cane or bamboo, about 1.5 cm to 2 cm in diameter; The length of stick is from 1 m to 1.2 m depending on the user and is divided into 4 parts, of which 3 parts are perforated to thread a coin in the middle to create the sound, the rest is on the second part, do not make holes for dancers to hold when performing. In each hole punched is divided into 3 - 4 rows of coins, each row has 2 - 3 coins combined. At the ends of the stick is tied a bunch of colorful ropes. These two strings are the highlight to create softness and flexibility for the dancer. At first glance, everyone might think that the stick is very simple, but to make it is a process that the Mong have to be very skillful, careful, meticulous and put into it so many "souls" of the nation.

Senh tien dance has many songs, but all songs are from the 10 basic rhythms that develop. When dancing, the dancer holding the stick, dancing and moving with skillful movements, let the stick lightly touch the body at points such as hands, feet, shoulders, and feet, causing the coins to make sounds. The bar is fun but mysterious, contributing to the jubilant festival.

“A lot of Mong people in Ban Pho know how to dance senh tien and many people still teach their children and grandchildren, so now the younger generation, especially students in Ban Pho in particular and Bac Ha in general know how to dance senh tien", Mr. Ly Seo Ho confirmed.

Members of senh tien dance team of Khen Mong Bac Ha Club practice to perform in many places.

Vu Thi Tra, 17 years old, of the H’mong ethnic group in Lang Moi village, Ban Pho commune, said: I have been taught senh tien dance by my father since I was in 6th grade. When I was at high school, I joined Khen Mong Bac Ha Club and learned more dances.

The Khen Mong Bac Ha Club consists of pan-pipe dance team and the senh tien dance team with more than 30 members. Currently, the club's entertainment teams are often invited to perform at local events, such as at Bac Ha night market (every Saturday night) or to perform at restaurants, hotels, and homestays serving tourists.

Not only in Bac Ha, many H'mong people who are passionate about preserving traditional ethnic cultures in other localities have also been inspiring the young generation to love and be proud of their national culture.

Teacher Lu Seo Senh instructs senh tien dance to students.

Mr. Lu Seo Senh, teacher of Pha Long Primary School (Muong Khuong), is the one who infused his love with stick and senh tien dance to students in the school since 2012 - when he started working here. Mr. Senh said: I was taught by my grandmother to dance senh tien when I was 8 years old and wanted to teach the young generation, creating opportunities for them to understand and preserve the national culture, while helping them to reduce their risk of getting entangled in social evils.

Under the guidance of teacher Lu Seo Senh, most students of Pha Long Primary School already know the basic rhythm of senh tien dance More than 200 children in the school's Senh Tien Dance Club have mastered many dances, becoming the nucleus of arts for the school and the locality. "I will try to learn more dances to teach other children later on," said Lu Hoai An, a student at Pha Long Primary School (Muong Khuong).

Along with the care and facilitation of localities, especially the culture, sports and tourism sectors, the H’mong people in the province are always conscious of preserving, restoring and promoting their cultural features. imbued with national identity, in which there is senh tien dance, so that the cheerful rhythm of the stick remains forever in the spring festivals.