Xoan singing impresses international heritage experts
Xoan singing has truly revived, a cultural and puppetry expert from Indonesia remarked following a Xoan performance in the northern province of Phu Tho on October 8.
Xoan singing has truly revived, a cultural and puppetry expert from Indonesia remarked following a Xoan performance in the northern province of Phu Tho on October 8.
Gaura Mancacaritadipura added that he thinks there will be no obstacle to putting the art on the list of intangible cultural heritage of mankind.
Xoan singing is now in the UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection.
Vanessa Achilles, a Programme Officer from the UNESCO Office in Bangkok, hailed efforts made by the Vietnamese Government to preserve Xoan singing, saying that the plan of action Vietnam is implementing will help bring this genre of singing into the representative list instead of the list in need of urgent protection.
The two experts were among the audience at the October 8 Xoan singing performance, which was held to introduce the age-old art to delegates attending a two-day conference in Hanoi on preservation of the Southeast Asian regional intangible cultural heritage. The delegates were from Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and the Republic of Korea .
Xoan singing is believed to have been developed during the reign of the Hung Kings (2890 BC to 250 BC). Traditionally, singers from Xoan guilds performed songs in sacred spaces, such as temples, shrines and communal houses during spring festivals.
Over the past years, Phu Tho province has carried out a lot of measures to preserve Xoan singing, including restoring 19 relic sites involved in Xoan singing, putting forward policies to honour Xoan artisans, and consulting the State on designing and enforcing preservation projects to soon remove Xoan singing from the list of intangible heritage in need of urgent protection.-VNA
Authorities of northern Phu Tho province are working to bring Xoan singing out of the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding as soon as in 2016, Ha Ke San, Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee, has said.
Cultural researcher Vu Kim Bien from northern Phu Tho province has submitted an over 80-page manuscript to local authorities featuring ancient “xoan” singing as well as solutions to revive the practice in response to its recognition as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
The northeast province of Phu Tho is undertaking all necessary actions to preserve and revive Xoan singing, according to Vice-Chairman of the People's Committee of the northern province of Phu Tho.
A massive effort by villagers in the northern province of Phu Tho has not only rescued the ancient form of dinh (community hall) singing, but also guided the way for similar efforts to save other parts of Vietnamese culture.
The Vietnamese team will gather on June 26 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, where they will train until July 14 before departing for Indonesia for the ASEAN U23 Championship 2025, which runs from July 15 to 29. Vietnam will face Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22 in the group stage.
The exhibition showcases more than 100 valuable documents and artifacts, divided into two main parts: “Journalist Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh” and “President Ho Chi Minh – Founder and Mentor of Vietnamese Revolutionary Press.” This is an opportunity to recall the late leader’s journalism journey and affirm his exceptional role in founding and guiding the revolutionary press in Vietnam.
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).
Xoan singing performance (Source: VNA)
