With a theme celebrating “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development,” the week-long program from June 7 to 12 united nearly 30 troupes from eight nations: France, Belgium, Spain, Canada, Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, and Vietnam. Artists became ambassadors, sharing their unique cultural and artistic heritage with the local community, creating a vibrant cultural tapestry.
Janick Appelmans, a 51-year-old member of the Belgian royal stilt walkers troupe, Koninklijke Steltenlopers Merchtem, attending the festival for the fifth time, shared the challenges of coordinating travel for their large group of 47, along with their bulky musical instruments and stilts. Despite the logistical hurdles, the troupe expressed extreme satisfaction with their journey, which included special travel arrangements.
Mariana Neto Brito Luz, representing the Hiphop Cergy team from France, shed light on their participation as part of an exchange program between Hue and Cergy, a commune in the French department of Val-d’Oise, northwest of Paris. Since establishing cooperative relations in April 2019, numerous artist exchange initiatives have taken place between the two sides.
Ooshiro Yuuga, leader of Japan’s Eisa Urakaji drum dance troupe, marked their first visit to Hue with enthusiasm, eager to introduce Vietnam and other countries to the captivating art of Eisa drum dancing.
Additionally, the Vietnamese team presented “don ca tai tu,” a southern amateur singing style rooted in Hue court music and southern folk music. This art form, recognized as one of Vietnam’s primary music genres, was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative List in 2013.
The festival successfully fostered cultural diplomacy among the participating art troupes, fostering friendship and cross-cultural understanding between nations and local communities.
Joy and pride in international recognition of national heritages
NDO – As the art of xoan singing is soon to be lifted from the UNESCO list of cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding, Dr Le Thi Minh Ly from the National Cultural Heritage Centre expressed her joy at the achievements Vietnam has made over the past year in protecting cultural heritages.
Protecting Minority Culture Through Workshop
NDO/VNA – How to protect and bring into play the values of folk culture of ethnic minority groups in Vietnam was discussed at a workshop held at the National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Hanoi on December 14.
Decoration art in traditional costume of Red Dao people recognised as national heritage
NDO – The Tuyen Quang provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with Na Hang district’s authorities hosted a ceremony on October 12 to receive a certificate honouring the decoration art in traditional costumes of local Red Dao ethnic groups as a national intangible heritage.
Exhibition to honour Vietnamese heritage
NDO – The "Vietnamese Cultural Heritage 2018" exhibition will take place in Hanoi from November 23 to 25, as one of the cultural events to honour and promote the values of national cultural heritages of various regions, especially the Vietnamese heritages that have been recognised by UNESCO.
Vietnam heritage photo contest launched
NDO – The fifth Vietnam Heritage Photo Contest, themed ‘Vietnamese rivers’, was officially launched by the Vietnam Heritage Magazine in Ho Chi Minh City on August 2.
