Beliefs of Life cycle (or life cycle - related beliefs) of ethnic minorities in the Northwestern region of Vietnam are the beliefs related to the lives of people in this region from birth to death which carried out through basic rituals such as: the rituals in childbirth, marriage, funeral and rituals of treatment, etc. The beliefs of life cycle plays an important role in the cultural life of ethnic minorities: helping people have psychological balance before the steps of birth – old age – sickness – death in the human life; a place that aspires for a peaceful, happy life and maintains the emotional attachment between generations and with the community; a place that preserves many cultural values with humanity, morality, ethic values and unique artistic values, contributing to the cultural nuances of ethnic groups in the Northwestern region. In the current context, the life cycle beliefs of ethnic minorities in the Northwestern region are having a strong recovery, creating conditions for good cultural values of this kind of beliefs to promote the role in cultural life of ethnic minorities. However, the tendency of recovery both prolix and expensive rituals and miscellaneous cultural features, unsound customs as well as outdated habits are posing many challenges, requiring effective solutions to preserve and promote the good cultural values in this kind of beliefs of ethnic minorities in the Northwestern mountainous region of Vietnam in the current context.

Protestantism spread and developed in the Hmong community in Northwestern Vietnam has changed many aspects in the socio-cultural life of the Protestant Hmong in particular and some other ethnic minorities in the Northwest in general. Along with the rapid development of Protestantism in the Northwest, a Protestant Hmong community with a culture and lifestyle that is different from the rest of the Hmong community has been formed. Under the influence of Protestantism, family, lineage and village relationships of this Protestant Hmong community have been gradually changed in many aspects as well. This transformation has had a positive impact on the lives of the Hmong people but also poses many challenges for preserving the cultural identity of the Hmong ethnic in Northwestern Vietnam today.

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