Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day marked nationwide

The first-ever Da Nang Cultural Heritage Festival opened at the Da Nang Museum on November 21 as part of the nationwide celebrations for the 15th anniversary of Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23, 2005-2020).

A worshipping ritual of Co Tu ethnic group is re-enacted at the Da Nang Cultural Heritage Festival.
A worshipping ritual of Co Tu ethnic group is re-enacted at the Da Nang Cultural Heritage Festival.

The three-day event features a wide range of activities, including a competition themed “Flows of Da Nang’s cultural heritages”, a rhetoric contest “Pride of Da Nang’s cultural heritages”, a photo exhibition entitled “Ancient scooters - once legendary” and a “Scooter on roads” exchange event.

In addition, visitors to the festival have the chance to gain a deeper insight into Da Nang’s heritages through attractive activities such as watching artisans perform wood carvings and Co Tu ethnic minority group’s sculptural arts, admiring how handicraft products are created, re-enacting a ceremony to erect a Neu (a tall bamboo pole with red garment strips used to ward off evil spirits during the lunar New Year), and a performance of the ‘tung tung da da’ dance to show gratitude to heaven.

* On the same day, managers, cultural researchers, artisans and fashion designers gathered at a seminar in Hanoi to discuss the preservation and development of the traditional Ao Dai (long dress) heritage in the present society.

Delegates tour a display area for traditional Ao Dai within the framework of the seminar.

They touched on several Ao Dai-related issues, including the potential to use traditional Ao Dai in the society, revamping Ao Dai, education on Ao Dai, and building Ao Dai preservation spaces in Hanoi and localities.

* A series of activities are scheduled from November 23 to December 4 in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, to mark the 21 anniversary of Hoi An Ancient Town gaining UNESCO recognition as a World Cultural Heritage along with three years of the art of Bai Choi in central Vietnam being recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

The activities include an online photo exhibition on old costumes in Hoi An, traditional musical and food events, and seminars on preserving and promoting heritage tourism in the context of COVID-19 and the role of women in promoting the attractiveness of heritage tourism.