Vietnam's 1st UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Performance to open this month

The first-ever UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Performance Festival will be held in the northern province of Phu Tho, featuring art troupes from 13 provinces and cities in the three regions of Vietnam.

Troupes from Hanoi will perform ca tru (ceremonial singing) and rituals of Giong Festival of Soc Temple and Phu Dong Temple. Other cultural items to be showcased included don ca tai tu (southern folk music), xoan singing at Phu Tho, and Cham pottery.

The festival consists of Intangible Cultural Heritage Performance and Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition.

People flock to Hung Temple Festival. Photo: Ngoc Tu/The Hanoi Times

According to Ho Dai Dung, Vice Chairman of the Phu Tho People's Committee, there include performances of xoan singing, Inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2019, in three types: Worship singing, Ritual singing, and Festive singing.

In addition, the province will display images, documents, artifacts, and video clips on "Hung King worshiping beliefs in Phu Tho" and "Phu Tho’s Xoan singing"; introduce typical tours and OCOP (One Commune-One Product) goods of the province.

The event aims to honor and promote the value of Vietnam's UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage. It's also an activity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of implementing the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage (October 17, 2003) in Vietnam. 

The event aims to honor and promote the value of Vietnam's UNESCO-recognized intangible cultural heritage. It's also an activity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of implementing the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage (October 17, 2003) in Vietnam. 

On the occasion, the Hung Temple Festival and the Land of Ancestors Culture and Tourism Week will take place from April 21-28. The festival includes dignified and respectful rites, such as ceremonies dedicated to Father Lac Long Quan and Mother Au Co (legendary ancestors of Vietnamese people), and incense offering ceremonies to Hung Kings. 

Phu Tho's authorities said the historical site of Hung Temple would welcome about eight million visitors this year.

Vietnam has an array of Elements on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage recognized by UNESCO as follows:

• - Art of Xoe dance of the Thai people (recognized in 2021)
• - Practices of Then by Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups (2019)
• - Art of Bai Choi in Central Region (2017)
• - Xoan Singing of Phu Tho Province (2019)
• - Practices related to the Viet beliefs in the Mother Goddesses of Three Realms (2016)
• - Tugging rituals and games (2015)
• - Vi and Giam folk songs of Nghe Tinh (2014)
• - Art of Don Ca Tai Tu music and song in the southern region (2013)
• - Worship of Hung Kings in Phu Tho (2012)
• - Giong Festival of Phu Dong and Soc temples (2010)
• - Ca Tru singing (2009), Quan Ho Bac Ninh folk songs (2009)
• - And Nha Nhac – Vietnam court music, and Space of gong culture (2008).