The opening ceremony was attended by Politburo member, Secretary of Party Central Committee (PCC) and Head of the PCC's Commission for Mass Mobilisation, Truong Thi Mai, Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh, National Assembly Vice Chairman Do Ba Ty, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien, representatives of ministries, committees, central and local branches and representatives of the leaders of the 10 provinces in the northeastern region, as well as ethnic groups and people in Vinh Phuc province.
The festival aims to raise people’s awareness on the promotion and preservation of the traditional cultural values of ethnic groups in the northeastern region and help to reinforce the great national unity bloc.
The event features diverse activities, including art performances, a fashion show of traditional costumes, a photo exhibition introducing tourism potential, food stalls and local folk games.
At the opening ceremony, the UNESCO office in Vietnam presented a certificate to recognise the tug-of-war ritual and games as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity to the Vinh Phuc Province authorities.
