Preserving traditional folk sports

Bringing folk sports into schools

For K'Phuc, a Ma ethnic teacher of physical education at Dinh Trang Thuong Primary and Secondary School, being selected by the school to join a demonstration sports team and attend slingshot shooting training in the commune in late September and early October 2026 was an interesting experience.

Born in 2000, K'Phuc is from Hamlet 8, Dinh Trang Thuong Commune. With a passion for sports, he enrolled at Ho Chi Minh City University of Physical Education and Sports Pedagogy after graduating from high school. Upon completing his studies, he returned to the school he had once attended to work as a teacher.

In the past, Ma people in the commune used crossbows for hunting. However, neither the Ma nor the K'ho had ever used slingshots. “With a crossbow, the shooter pulls the string back forcefully and braces the weapon against the body. With a slingshot, both hands have to be extended forward,” K'Phuc explained.

As a professionally trained physical education teacher who is also proficient in several sports, including soccer, volleyball, and tennis, K'Phuc found it relatively easy to learn how to use a slingshot, as did other members of the team. “Crossbow shooting and slingshot shooting have many similarities. With a crossbow, shooting from a standing position seems easier than from a kneeling position, but both can be mastered with practice. Members of the commune team learned very quickly. The instructors were also enthusiastic, combining explanations with hands-on practice, which made the training enjoyable,” K'Phuc said.

When slingshot shooting is introduced as a competitive sport, athletes must also understand and follow specific competition rules. “When I return to school, I will introduce slingshot shooting to my students. Stilt walking is also well suited to extracurricular sports activities and can be organized as a competition on appropriate occasions, creating a lively and enjoyable atmosphere for students,” K'Phuc said.

Expanding the model to ethnic minority communities

As part of the 2025 National Target Program for Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority Areas, the Vietnam Sports Administration, in coordination with the Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, surveyed and assessed local conditions before selecting Dinh Trang Thuong Commune as a pilot site for preserving and developing stilt walking and slingshot shooting. The commune is home to a large ethnic minority population.

According to Bui Thi Ha Giang of the Sports for All Division under the Vietnam Sports Administration, the program aims to gradually preserve and promote traditional ethnic sports and develop them into distinctive cultural and sports tourism products. In doing so, it is expected to contribute to economic, cultural, and social development in ethnic minority areas.

In late September and early October 2026, the program selected 40 ethnic minority athletes from schools, villages, hamlets, and tourist sites across Dinh Trang Thuong Commune. They were divided into two teams of 20 members each for stilt walking and slingshot shooting, taking part in training and filming to complete the pilot program in Lam Dong.

“We have worked closely with Quang Ngai and Lam Dong provinces in implementing the pilot model. In the coming period, the model will be studied for replication in provinces and cities with large ethnic minority populations,” Giang said.

In addition to slingshot shooting and stilt walking, the Vietnam Sports Administration is also implementing activities under the national target program to preserve and develop other traditional folk sports among ethnic minority communities in various localities.

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Once funding is allocated, the department will coordinate with the People's Committees of communes, wards, and special zones to establish and expand stilt-walking and slingshot-shooting teams, groups, and clubs in ethnic minority areas, linked with tourism development.

Vi Thi Thu, Deputy Head of the Sports Management Division, Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism