"People in the Central Highlands now observe buffalo sacrifice, grave-hut removal, praying for health. Even these ceremonies may fade away if we do not preserve them," warned To Ngoc Thanh, Association of Vietnamese Folklorists chairman, at the fourth international conference on Vietnamese studies.
The conference, which focused broadly on the cultural heritage of Viet Nam in the context of international integration and sustainable development, included a panel where Thanh and other scholars of Vietnamese studies.discussed the role of cultural exchanges.
Thanh explained that folk culture and art originally emerged from Vietnamese farming life. During this time of industrialisation and modernisation, he said, these valuable cultural assets may disappear.
Many Vietnamese tangible and intangible heritage forms have gained global renown, including the complex of ancient monuments in the former royal capital of city of Hue, which was recognised by UNESCO in 1993.
Tran Duc Anh Son from the Da Nang Institute of Socio-Economic Development made a presentation about the re-enactment of royal ceremonies of the Nguyen dynasty to develop culture and tourism in Hue.
Thua Thien-Hue Province has helped fund the Hue Festivals since 2000 with the aim of recreating the royal ceremonies of the Nguyen dynasty, such as the Nam Giao and Xa Tac rituals.
Son evaluated more than 100 ceremonies of the Nguyen dynasty in terms of quality, scale, significance and characteristic value.
At the meeting, he discussed the effectiveness and impact of the re-enacted ceremonies.
He also called on participants to propose initiatives to preserve the authenticity of the royal ceremonies while also promoting tourism.
Cultural exchange in Vietnamese contemporary art was also discussed at the panel by Natalia Kraevskai from Moscow Institute of Oriental Cultures and Iola Lenzi from Singapore University of Art.
Many participants said they particularly enjoyed a presentation about cross-border archeological research in Southern Laos, Northeast Cambodia and Central Viet Nam conducted by the Viet Nam Association of Ethnic Minorities' Culture and Arts. The presentation focused specifically on the significance of overland routes in the economic interactions of the ancient kingdoms of Champa and Khmer.
The discussion was one of 15 panels held at the three-day conference, which attracted more than 1,000 delegates from 36 countries and territories.