Hanoi (VNA)♋ – Artists from 13 cities and provinces will perform and popularise 15 UNESCO-recognised heritage elements to enhance the value of Vietnam's intangible cultural heritages at a festival in the northern province of Phu Tho from April 21-24

Accordingly, artists from Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Vinh Phuc, Phu Tho, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ninh Thuan and Dak Lak will perform the art of Bai Choi in central Vietnam, Hue royal court music, the cultural space of the Central Highlands gong ensemble, Bac Ninh folk songs, Ca tru singing, the Giong festival at Soc and Phu Dong temples, the worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho, don ca tai tu (southern amateur music), Nghe Tinh folk singing, tugging rituals and games, the worship practices of Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms, Phu Tho's xoan singing, then singing practice of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups, Thai folk dance, and pottery-making craft of Cham people. The festival consists of two parts: the performance of intangible cultural heritage and the exhibition of intangible cultural heritage space.  

At the press conference in Hanoi on April 13, Vice Chairman of the Phu Tho provincial People’s Committee Ho Dai Dung said the host province will organise performances of Xoan singing in its three traditional styles: worship singing, festival singing, and love duet singing. These performances will be staged by artists from the four villages of Kim Dai, Thet, Phu Duc (Kim Duc commune), and An Thai (Phuong Lau commune), and Viet Tri city. Additionally, there will be demonstrations of making banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) and pounding banh giay (round glutinous rice cake) by artisans from Hung Lo commune, Bach Hac ward. Moreover, a recitation of "King Hung teaching people to cultivate rice" will be performed by artists from Minh Nong ward.

The province will showcase photos, materials, artifacts, and video clips related to the worship of Hung Kings and xoan singing in Phu Tho. There will also be a display of tourism and exemplary products of the local One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme. The event aims to honour and uphold the value of Vietnam's UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritages, thus raising the awareness and experience in management and conservation, and upholding the value of cultural heritages among departments, agencies, artisans and practitioners.

This is also an activity towards the 20th anniversary of the implementation of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (October 17). It reflects Vietnam's efforts and role in fulfilling commitments when joining the 2003 Convention.

𝔉 From April 25-29, the delegations will continue to exhibit photos, artifacts and materials representing the intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO, as well as local tourism products and exemplary OCOP products.

A ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Convention is scheduled to take place at 8pm on April 21 at Hung Vuong Square. A conference discussing how to harness the role of cultural heritage in tandem with tourism development will take place at April 22, creating a scientific space for leaders, policy makers, scholars, scientists, and relevant agencies to talk the topic. An exhibition on cultural and tourism heritage of Vietnam's capital regions will run from April 21-29 while celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the 2003 Convention, the Hung Kings Festival and Cultural-Tourism Week of the Ancestral Land are slated for April 21-28. Dung said preparations for the above events have been basically completed. The Hung Kings Temple relic site is expected to welcome around 8 million visitors./.