Northern Vietnamese ethnic music promoted

Echoing from a small alley in Minh Xuan Ward, Tuyen Quang City are the Then singing and Tinh melodies by Thàm Ngọc Kiến. He is preparing for the 5th National Then and Tính music festival later this month. As a passionate devotee of this traditional art, Kien is keenly anticipating the event as providing a platform to promote the traditional music forms.

Artist Tham Ngoc Kien, Minh Xuan Ward in Tuyen Quang City, said: "We’re trying our best to preserve this art. Not only this festival, but anytime we’ve heard of any festival that involves Then singing and Tinh music, we go there and talk with the artists to exchange skills and experiences".

The festival will attract the attendance of troupes from 14 provinces. Seven activities will take place during the three-day festival, including the opening ceremony, performances of Then singing, an exhibition with the theme of Then – Tay, Nung, Thai Vietnam Cultural Heritages, an international conference on promoting the traditional music forms, an agricultural and trade fair in the northwest of Vietnam and a closing ceremony. The highlight of the event will be the Thanh Tuyen Festival which will take place in Tuyen Quang city.

Nguyen Vu Phan, Deputy Director of Department of Culture, Sports & Tourism in Tuyen Quang City, said: "We’re wrapping up preparations for the festival. Everything is now ready to welcome domestic and international visitors to one of the biggest musical festivals in the region".

Tuyen Quang is home to 64 Then singing clubs with nearly 1,000 participants, and the province is making great efforts to preserve this traditional art form. The festival is seen as an important step in bolstering the dossier to be submitted for UNESCO recognition of Then singing as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.