Seminar spotlights ethnic cultural preservation

Preserving unique architectural features and authentic traditional
customs of ethnic minority groups is an effective and necessary move for
conserving and promoting Vietnamese cultural identities.

This
view was shared by cultural researchers and managers at a seminar in
Hanoi on Nov. 24, reviewing the implementation of the national target
programme on preserving traditional villages of ethnic minority groups
over the past ten years.

The programme has been carried out in 20
villages of the ethnic minority groups of S’Tieng, Cham, Bana, K’Ho,
M’nong, Ede, Van Kieu, Kho Mu, Muong, Thai, H’Mong, Lo Lo, Tay, Dzao,
and Khmer, in 20 provinces nationwide.

It has assisted ethnic
minority people in the target localities to protect traditional
architectural features of their communal meeting halls and their homes,
as well as preserving intangible cultural values, including their own
festivals, folk songs and dances, traditional costumes and handicrafts.

Authentic
customs and practices the target ethnic minority groups have tried to
preserve have been collected, performed and introduced to the public
through cultural exchange activities held in the framework of the
programme.

In addition, the programme has facilitated the
effective implementation of the Party and State’s ethnic policies,
especially policies pertaining to poverty reduction, education,
healthcare, family planning and childcare.

Economically, the
ethnic minority beneficiaries have learnt to make profits from their own
cultural and tourism products, farm produce and traditional handicraft
items, to further improve their material life.

The seminar
participants agreed that the preservation of ethnic minority villages
has greatly contributed to raising the awareness of branches, sectors
and even ethnic people on the position and significance of conserving
and promoting the unique values of ethnic cultures.

The work has
also helped create new cultural values, with culture becoming a
spiritual goal and a driving force of ethnic minority people in the
course of boosting their social development.

The preservation of
ethnic minority villages has provided a new model, along with
experiences for the State management agencies to better their
organisation of preservation and promotion of traditional cultures at
the grassroots level to help ethnic minority-inhabited areas develop in a
sustainable manner, seminar participants agreed./.

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Ethnic Culture-Tourism Village makes debut

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked Hanoi and other localities
in the nation to build the Culture-Tourism Village of Vietnamese ethnic
groups in Son Tay district of Hanoi into an attractive destination for
foreign and domestic tourists.

Addressing the
opening ceremony of the village in Hanoi on Sept. 19, PM Dung said
that the village has helped enrich the nation’s culture.

Culture is the society’s spiritual foundation, said PM Dung, noting
that the Party and the State always pay attention to preserving and
promoting cultural identity.

Together with the
State’s investment, all economic sectors should be encouraged to invest
in cultural activities to help boost national development, said the PM.

The opening ceremony was attended by Party General
Secretary Nong Duc Manh, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung,
Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Huynh Dam,
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) Hoang Tuan Anh,
Minister and Chairman of the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs Giang
Seo Phu, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen The Thao,
cultural researchers and village patriarchs from across the country.

Located on a 1,544-ha area in Dong Mo
, Son Tay district, the village is a complex of traditional
Vietnamese architectures, highlighting unique characteristics of the
national culture.

The Vietnamese Ethnic
Culture-Tourism Village project, approved by the Prime
Minister in 2008, aims to honour and preserve the cultural value of
Vietnam ’s 54 ethnic minority groups and promote Vietnam ’s
images to the world. It is also expected to become the nation’s culture,
sports, and tourism centre featuring Vietnamese cultural heritage and
meet the public’s demands for recreation.

On the
threshold of the Thang Long – Hanoi millennial anniversary, the
opening of the village is a politically, culturally, and socially
significant event to meet the public’s demand for preserving the
nation’s cultural value.

On the same day, there
were a variety of activities including a ceremony to honour the crafts
villages of 54 ethnic minority groups, an exhibition showcasing products
of the ethnic groups, and cultural exchanges between ethnic groups./.

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Vietnam, China fly the flag of culture

Cultural development in the market economy and global integration drew
the attention of communists from both Vietnam and China at a
workshop underway in Vietnam.

To Huy Rua,
Politburo member, Secretary, Head of the Information and Education
Commission and Chairman of the Theory Council of the Communist Party of
Vietnam Central Committee, led a Vietnamese delegation to the three-day
workshop, that opened in the central city of Da Nang on September 8.

The Chinese delegation was led by Liu Yunshan,
Politburo member, Secretary in the Central Secretariat and Head of the
Central Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

In his opening speech, Rua said the topic of cultural development
drew great attention from the two parties as it bore both theoretical
and practical significance, affecting both immediate and long term
interests of the two economies which have much in common.

“Vietnam is developing a socialist-oriented market economy while
China is speeding up the construction of a socialist market economy,”
said the CPV senior official, explaining the similarity of the two
economies.

He said the two ruling communist
parties should share experiences gained during their leadership in order
to help each other solve emerging problems.

For
his part, the Chinese head delegate said culture is the spiritual
flagship of a Party and State and developing a socialist culture should
be based on Marxism.

Liu called for consistent efforts to be made to advance towards a civilised culture.

He emphasised the socialist value of cultural development and the
need to build a cultural bridge capable of uniting people for further
development.

“The fundamental purpose of cultural
development is for the people and its power should be based on the
people,” the Chinese senior communist said.

People
should be put as the root of the cultural development cause, which
should meet people’s cultural demands as much as possible, Liu added.

He expressed a desire to learn from Vietnam’s successful policies
in culture and pledged to work together with the south-eastern Asian
neighbour, which shares not only a common borderline but also cultural
similarities with China, in boosting cultural cooperation./.

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Hoi An-Japan cultural exchange opens

A Hoi An-Japan cultural exchange opened in Hoi An ancient town in the central province of Quang Nam on August 21.

During the two-day event, various cultural activities will be held,
including an exhibition showcasing photos on Hoi An ancient town and
documentary photos on Hoi An-Japan cultural exchanges and an artistic
painting exhibition entitled “Colours of Heritages”.

There will be a seminar on cultural heritage preservation and tourism
development, an introduction of Japanese cuisine and performances of
Japanese musical instruments and children’s games.

In the opening night, Vietnamese and Japanese artists jointly performed
special dances from both countries such as lion and royal dances.

The event, co-organised by the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Hoi An People’s
Committee, offers a chance for artists in particular and the people of
the two countries in general to exchange and share their own special
cultural characteristics, thus helping boost the friendship between the
two nations./.

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