Hanoi (VNA) – Right after UNESCO’s official listingof the art of Xoe dance of Thai ethnic minority people in Vietnam as anIntangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 15, the Ministry ofCulture, Sports and Tourism has joined Yen Bai, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, and Son Laprovinces to celebrate the significant event.

The accreditation took place at the 16th session of theUNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the IntangibleCultural Heritage, scheduled for December 13-18.

Xoe is a unique type of traditional dance that is associatedwith and plays a significant role in the daily life of Thai ethnic communitiesin the northwest of Vietnam, especially in the provinces of Lai Chau, DienBien, Son La and Yen Bai. It is performed in various community activities fromfestivals to funeral rituals.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang DaoCuong expressed his delight and pride when the Thai people’s Xoe dance hasbecome the 14th intangible heritage of Vietnam to obtain the UNESCO title sofar.

He said this is an international affirmation and recognitionof Vietnam’s rich, diverse and distinctive cultural heritage.

Echoing Cuong’s view, Secretary of the Yen Bai provincial Party CommitteeDo Duc Duy said the art carries a message of openness,hospitality, and solidarity. He informed that the preservation and promotion of the arthave been conducted since the 1990s by authorities and Thai communities in the fourprovinces. They have so far established some 3,300 troupes to regularly practicethe dance within the communities, and introduced it via publications and culturalprojects, and at school, among other activities.

The official said after the recognition, Yen Bai will workwith Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau to organise a ceremony to welcome the accreditationnext year, implement a related action plan as committed to UNESCO, and makeproposals on specific projects and plans serving the protection of the art.

Artisan Lo Van Bien from Yen Bai’s Nghia Lo township, whohas spent many years researching and preserving the art, said he is filled withhappiness and pride.

Expressing his gratitude toward the attention paid by the Party,State, cultural sector, and local authorities toward the conservation of theheritage, he vowed to further making contributions to the work via introducingand teaching the dance.

There are about 30 Xoe dances, which have been developed,protected and handed down through generations intact over hundreds of years,including xoe quat (xoe dance with a fan), xoe khan (xoe dance with a scarf),xoe non (xoe dance with a conical hat) and many others with contents reflectingcommunity activities and expressing the Thai people’s emotion. With gentle andalluring rhythms, dancers usually form a circle around a festive flame and moveto the sound of melodic traditional music.

Xoe dance has become a symbol of hospitality of Thai peopleand an important cultural imprint of the community in the northwesternmountainous region.

The recognition of the art as an Intangible CulturalHeritage of Humanity affirms Vietnam’s diverse cultural identities as well asthe close bonds of the community and the country’s respect for culturaldiversity. Moreover, the title is expected to help raise the world’s awarenessof the Intangible Cultural Heritages in general and the art of Xoe dance ofVietnam in particular./.