They include a horse racing festival in Bac Ha District, the art of costume decoration of the Hmong Hoa ethnic minority in Bac Ha District, the art of costume decoration of the Nung Din people in Muong Khuong District, and the traditional craft of worship painting of the Red Dao people in Sapa Town.

Horse racing in Na Hoi Commune, Bac Ha District.

The Bac Ha Horse Racing Festival is a typical cultural feature of Bac Ha District. The festival is held annually in June at the stadium of Bac Ha Town. As neither a commercial nor professional race, the festival at Bac Ha features farmers and pack horses. 

Riders have no saddle or stirrups, just a horse belt, with two iron hooks tied to ropes on either side of the horse’s mouth for control. The people of Bac Ha first organised the horse racing festival in ancient times.

After having disappeared for a long period of time, it has been held annually since June 2008, meeting the needs of people’s cultural and spiritual lives and contributing to the preservation and promotion of the cultural and sporting traditions of ethnic minority groups in Bac Ha.

Unique traditional patterns on the brocade costume of women from the Hmong Hoa people is one of the branches of the Hmong ethnic minority group. The brocade clothing of the Hmong Hoa people makes a strong impression with the prominent red and deep blue colours, and conventional geometric patterns. The traditional Mongolian Brocade costume consists of a scarf, a blouse, a pleated skirt, and a long waist belt.

The costumes of the Nung Din people are decorated with silver carvings. Aesthetics are also created through techniques of embroidery, fabric stitching, and metal and silver beading. Decorative patterns on costumes express ethnic beliefs and worldview through devotional natural worshiping symbols like the sun and water sources associated with agricultural practices.

The traditional worship painting craft is associated with the very rich, mysterious and sacred spiritual life of the Red Dao people. The Red Dao people have many crafts, but the profession of making worship paintings is one of the most unique crafts, imbuing national cultural identity and reflecting the multi-layered world, spirituality, beliefs, and philosophy in each worship picture.

The announcement of four more national intangible cultural heritages will contribute to facilitating the conservation, preservation and promotion of the unique cultural heritage of ethnic minority communities in Lao Cai.

Boat race festival in Ly Son Island named national heritage

Tu Linh (Four Holy Beasts) boat race festival in Ly Son Island, an emerging travel destination in Quang Ngai Province, has been designated a national intangible cultural heritage.

Hue cuisine seeks UNESCO recognition as intangible cultural heritage

Authorities in Thua Thien-Hue Province, home to ancient town Hue, plan to seek UNESCO intangible cultural heritage recognition for its cuisine.

Bac Giang promotes cultural heritage value of Tho Ha village with tourism development

(BGO) – The Department of Science and Technology in Bac Giang province on April 19 hold a meeting with the council to consult, assess and accept the provincial-level scientific research topic “Research to promote the cultural heritage value of Tho Ha village with tourism development” chaired by Master Do Tuan Khoa, Director of provincial Museum.

Digital library preserves common heritage of Vietnam and France

The French Embassy in Vietnam and the National Library of Vietnam on April 7 unveiled a digital library at https://heritage.bnf.fr/france-vietnam.

Ha Long street festival features local cultural heritage

The 2021 Ha Long Street Festival is ongoing at the Ha Long Marina Complex, Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, featuring the local heritage and culture of ethnic groups.

Source: NDO