Along with the development of modern sports, the district has also focused on preserving and promoting folk and ethnic ones.

It is easy to feel the joyful, vibrant competition atmosphere and solidarity of ethnic minorities through the organisation of such games like tug of war, day gay (stick pushing) and crossbow shooting when coming to villages in Tram Tau district at the beginning of spring or during the Lunar New Year holiday.

Mong female athlete Giang Thi Sua, a resident of Ta Chu village, Ban Cong commune, is often selected for the district and provincial teams to compete in tournaments held in the northwest region. She has recently won the silver and bronze at the Mong Ethnic Cultural Festival, held in Lai Chau province in 2021.

"To get high results in crossbow shooting, I regularly practice and actively participate in sports competitions organised by villages, communes and districts”, Sua said, adding that she learned a lot from these tournaments. 

Ethnic minorities account for 95 percent of the population in all 11 communes of Tram Tau district. Despite economic difficulties, local residents are encouraged to repair yards serving the practice and play sports and folk games in the villages.

Ho A Xa, an official who is in charge of cultural affairs at Ban Cong commune, said that stick pushing, tug of war, cross shooting and spinning tops are popular games of ethnic people.

"Every year, the commune has more than 10 athletes participating in sports tournaments at district and provincial levels,” he said.

Tram Tau currently has 117 sports teams and 30 clubs with the participation of more than 10,400 people. Every year, the district organises sports competitions to select members to join the teams.

Tram Tau district's 14-member delegation won two gold medals in stick pushing, eight silver and five bronze medals in spinning tops, stick pushing, crossbow shooting and tug of war at the third Mong Ethnic Culture Festival held in Lai Chau province in late December last year.