Bac Ninh (VNA) – A programme has been held in Bac Ninh city, the northern province of Bac Ninh tocelebrate the 10th anniversary of Quan ho (love duet) singing being recognised byUNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The “Ve mien Quan Ho” (Coming to the Quan ho region) programme was jointlyorganised on February 23 by the provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People'sCommittee and Fatherland Front Committee.

Addressing the event, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen TuQuynh said that after 10 years since Quan Ho singing was honoured by UNESCO(2009-2019), with the efforts of the political system and local people, BacNinh province has seriously implemented its commitments with UNESCO to preservingand fostering heritage values and spreading Quan Ho singing.

From only 49 original Quan Ho villages and 34 clubs, there are now 369 Quan Hovillages and 381 clubs with over 10,000 members. Especially, more than 140clubs are run in other provinces and by overseas Vietnamese communities.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam praised the achievements made by the provincialParty Committee, authorities and people over the past few years. Theconservation and promotion of Quan Ho singing of Bac Ninh province is a uniqueand effective model, which needs to be replicated in the preservation ofintangible cultural heritage throughout the country, he noted.

According to him, in order to preserve and spread Quan ho singing, the peopleplay a central role. The responsibility for conserving and promoting the Quanho folk song heritage values does not only stop within Bac Ninh and Bac Giangprovinces but also in the whole country, with all Vietnamese at home and abroadinvolved.

On the occasion, the Deputy PM presented the Prime Minister's certificate ofmerit to the Party Committee, authorities and people of Bac Ninh province fortheir achievements in the conservation and development of Quan ho folk songs.

Quan Ho is an art form that combines variouselements, including music, lyrics and costumes, and features the distinctiveculture of people in the region formerly called Kinh Bac.

The art of love duets was inscribed in UNESCO’s representative list ofintangible cultural heritage in September 2009.

In recent years, Bac Ninh has invested in renovation and construction ofcultural institutions. Of which, the key project is Bac Ninh Quan Ho folktheatre. The 90-billion-VND project boasts an area of 1.9 ha on four floors. Ithas a unique architectural design in the image of a house, dragon boat, a stripof peach silk and a large round hat, bearing cultural features of Bac Ninh –Kinh Bac.

Implementing its commitment with UNESCO, the province has called for concerted effortsin jointly implementing the project "Preserving and promoting the value ofintangible cultural heritage, Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs and Ca tru in2013-2020”.

In particular, Bac Ninh is the leading province in developing mechanisms andpolicies to honour and reward artisans in the field of intangible culturalheritage. This is a move to nurture passion, enthusiasm, dedication of talentsto preserve and promote the cultural heritage values of the nation.-VNA