Hanoi (VNA) – How to protect and bring into playthe values of folk culture of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam was discussedat a workshop held at the National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism inHanoi on December 14.

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports andTourism, the preservation and promotion of ethnic minorities’ culture havehelped enhance the patriotism and national pride among the public whilestrengthening the great national unity bloc.

More than 80 traditional festivals of ethnicgroups like the Muong, Thai, Tay, Co Tu, Mong, Nung, Dao, Ba Na, Chut and Khmerhave been revitalized. Over 30 villages of 25 minorities have been assisted touphold their traditional cultural heritage such as festivals, folk songs anddances, costumes, crafts and customs.

Many classes teaching traditional intangibleculture of the ethnic groups with populations below 10,000 have been opened inmany provinces nationwide like Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Lao Cai and ThaiNguyen in the north, Quang Binh in the central region, and Kon Tum in theCentral Highlands.

Notably, 134 of the 271 existing nationalintangible cultural heritage items belong to ethnic minorities, and 276 of the617 people recognised as meritorious artisans are from these groups.

At the workshop, many participants said thepreservation and promotion of ethnic minorities’ culture are an increasinglyurgent task in the face of foreign culture, rapid urbanization, and heritagecommercialization.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said it takeseach ethnic community thousands of years to form their cultural identities.Therefore, cultural preservation and promotion need strategic visions and patience.

The State not only supports cultural heritageconservation activities but also creates a favourable environment for eachcitizen, each community and the whole society to join in this work, he added.

For her part, Vice Chairwoman of the National AssemblyTong Thi Phong said protecting and bringing into play ethnic groups’ culturalidentities are not the responsibility of a single group but the task of theentire political system and all people.

She asked the Government to overhaul legaldocuments on policies, including those on cultural preservation, for ethnicminorities, particularly the groups with small population in border, insularand resettlement areas, to encourage them to uphold beautiful cultural valuesand give up outdated practices.

The official also called for more manpowertraining in the work and policies encouraging the transfer of cultural heritageto younger generations.-VNA