Suspension of national then singing and ethnic musical instrument festival

Then singing performance (Source: nhandan.com.vn)

As planned, the festival would have been held in the fourth quarter of 2021. Due to the complicated situation of the COVID-19 epidemic, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism decided to postpone the event to an appropriate time to ensure strict implementation of epidemic prevention and control measures under the Government’s direction.

The festival is held every 3 years to honor the fine traditional cultural values of the 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam; and raise people’s awareness and consciousness in preserving and promoting traditional cultural values. This is also an opportunity to introduce and promote the unique cultural heritage values of the ethnic groups, promoting socio-economic and tourism development in localities.

Then singing is a form of art combining literature, music and dance and has long been a religious and cultural practice of Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups in the northern mountainous region of Vietnam during special occasions, such as village festivals.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism signed a dossier on the then singing practice of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups of Vietnam for submission to UNESCO, requesting recognition of  the singing form as part of the intangible cultural heritage./.

BTA