The event featured songs and dances recalling the national construction and defence while praising the Vietnamese people’s solidarity, national pride and efforts to preserve the cultural identities of its 54 ethnic groups.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung reminded the audience that on November 17, 2008, the Prime Minister issued a decision assigning April 19 as the Vietnam Ethnic Group Cultural Day.
He noted with pleasure that many practical activities have been held annually across the country to mark the occasion over the past 13 years, from mountainous areas to plains, from borders to seas and island regions.
He stressed that the day has become a major festival bringing together ethnic groups closer while helping them promoting their traditional festivals and distinct cultural features.
This year’s Vietnam Ethnic Group Cultural Day will be observed at the National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism from April 16 to 19 with assorted activities, including a show featuring Hue folk singing and its traditional Ao Dai designs, performances of traditional musical instruments, and an exhibition of UNESCO-recognised intangible cultural heritages in Vietnam.
Traditional unique festivals of ethnic groups will also be introduced to visitors on the occasion, such as the Chol Chnam Thmay Festival of the Khmer people in An Giang Province, the celebration welcoming new rice crop of the Lao ethnic community in Son La Province, and the ritual to bid farewell to the dead of the Jrai people in Gia Lai Province.
