Vietnam should carry out a long-term campaign to conserve and developfolk festivals because people from industrialised countries arefascinated by culture of agricultural societies, experts say.
The Tin tuc (News) newspaper cited the experts as saying that thecampaign should heighten public awareness of the need to preserving thenation's folk culture and at the same time, intensify to research intorituals and festivals with a view to restoring them authentically.
Concerned agencies should create favourable conditions for thefestivals to thrive by supporting ethnic minorities develop economicallyand improve their living standards.
They stressedthe need for macro-level policies to manage and organise these festivalsregularly, preserve the national character, and promote the traditionalskills and talents of residents, in making various handicraft items forinstance.
Folk festivals are "live museums" ofcultural and historical value and they play a big part in attractingvisitors to the country, the paper said.
In 2000 –when the national programme of action on tourism was launched – thesector chose to develop products associated with 15 major festivalstypical to various regions and ethnic minorities.
These included the Long Tong Festival celebrated by the Tay peopletheearliest known ethnic group in Vietnam , the Kate Festival of theCham people and the Ooc Om Bok Festival of the Khmer people.
While the programme aimed to respect and conserve the nation'stradition while meeting the demand of tourists, there have been severalinadequacies in implementation, said Hoang Thi Diep, deputy directorgeneral of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
She said the organising of folk festivals of ethnic minorities inseveral instances left a lot to be desired because they were"supplemented with modern and miscellaneous cultural aspects" thatrobbed the events of their authenticity, disappointing visitors.
Some festivals were overly commercialised and some even took advantage of superstitions, Diep said.
Le Thi Minh Ly, deputy director of the Cultural Heritage Departmentunder the Ministry of Culture and Information, said it was necessary tospread accurate information via mass media about the festivals sovisitors can also respect and not destroy the festive environment.
"Authorities in localities should also make residents aware of therisk of commercialising their traditional festivals, as also not misusethem for gambling and other negative activities," Ly said.
It is estimated that 7,966 festivals are held every year nationwide, 88 per cent of which are folk festivals.
Festivals of ethnic minorities are usually linked to their daily livesand a valuable social and cultural resource that need to be preservedwell, experts said./.
The Tin tuc (News) newspaper cited the experts as saying that thecampaign should heighten public awareness of the need to preserving thenation's folk culture and at the same time, intensify to research intorituals and festivals with a view to restoring them authentically.
Concerned agencies should create favourable conditions for thefestivals to thrive by supporting ethnic minorities develop economicallyand improve their living standards.
They stressedthe need for macro-level policies to manage and organise these festivalsregularly, preserve the national character, and promote the traditionalskills and talents of residents, in making various handicraft items forinstance.
Folk festivals are "live museums" ofcultural and historical value and they play a big part in attractingvisitors to the country, the paper said.
In 2000 –when the national programme of action on tourism was launched – thesector chose to develop products associated with 15 major festivalstypical to various regions and ethnic minorities.
These included the Long Tong Festival celebrated by the Tay peopletheearliest known ethnic group in Vietnam , the Kate Festival of theCham people and the Ooc Om Bok Festival of the Khmer people.
While the programme aimed to respect and conserve the nation'stradition while meeting the demand of tourists, there have been severalinadequacies in implementation, said Hoang Thi Diep, deputy directorgeneral of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.
She said the organising of folk festivals of ethnic minorities inseveral instances left a lot to be desired because they were"supplemented with modern and miscellaneous cultural aspects" thatrobbed the events of their authenticity, disappointing visitors.
Some festivals were overly commercialised and some even took advantage of superstitions, Diep said.
Le Thi Minh Ly, deputy director of the Cultural Heritage Departmentunder the Ministry of Culture and Information, said it was necessary tospread accurate information via mass media about the festivals sovisitors can also respect and not destroy the festive environment.
"Authorities in localities should also make residents aware of therisk of commercialising their traditional festivals, as also not misusethem for gambling and other negative activities," Ly said.
It is estimated that 7,966 festivals are held every year nationwide, 88 per cent of which are folk festivals.
Festivals of ethnic minorities are usually linked to their daily livesand a valuable social and cultural resource that need to be preservedwell, experts said./.
