Villagers dance and sing around the totem tree (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - The first day of the new year is also time for the Sedang, anethnic group among the 54 ethnicities of Vietnam, to celebrate their New RiceFestival.
Oneof the most important festivals for the Sedang, the festival is held at thebeginning of the year to appease the spirit of the rice, to celebrate abountiful harvest and to pray for good fortune in the new year.
Thefestival begins with Sedang families going to their rice field to pick the mostbeautiful rice plants and bring them home. Families must prepare food offeringsto the spirit using the new rice.
Onthe day of the ceremony, a village elder summons everyone to the village’s nharong – the Sedang’s communal house where the majority of their spiritual andsocial activities take place. Young men erect a cay neu – a tall tree with atotem on top of it – in front of the house.
TheSedang dance and sing around the tree. Their musical instruments include gongsin various sizes and the Klongput – a wind clap xylophone. Made of bodies ofbamboo trees cut and designed in different length, the xylophone sound is madewhen people clap their hands near one of their ends.
Mostof the Sedang villages, which house a total population of nearly 100,000, arelocated in Vietnam’s central highlands region. Isolated and often withoutcontact with other villages, the Sedangs were said to be fierce warriors yearsago. The Sedangs now make farming their primary occupation.-VNA
Leaders of five broadcasting stations in the Central Highlands agreed to increase both time allocations and quality of programmes in ethnic languages at a meeting to review their activities during the past six months on June 23.
The Central Highlands provinces have provided financial assistance and language training, and allocated land to local ethnic minority households in a bid to improve their living conditions.
For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The event served as a vibrant display of solidarity, promoting peace, cooperation, and development through cultural dialogue, and reaffirmed HCM City's role as a dynamic hub for cultural diplomacy and international friendship.
The Indian Film Festival not only honours the artistic value of cinema but also contributes to strengthening the friendship and enhancing cultural exchange between the people of Son La in particular and Vietnam in general and India.
An art exchange programme between Vietnam and Cambodia was held on the evening of June 13 in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long as part of the 2025 Cambodia Culture Week in Vietnam.
Villagers dance and sing around the totem tree (Source: VNA) 
