IAGRAI Gong Culture Festival

Gong Culture Festival, an event to honor unique cultural values and connect communities to promote the identity of ethnic groups, creating a strong and lasting vitality in the great forest. Taking place from November 11 to 19 in Pleiku City and Ia Grai and Chu Pah districts, Gia Lai Culture - Tourism Week 2023 includes many unique and attractive cultural - sports - tourism events and activities such as: Ceremony to announce and receive the Certificate of ranking the special national monument of Roc Tung - Go Da and announce the National Treasure of the collection of An Khe ancient stone tools; Gia Lai Gong Culture Festival; "Gia Lai City Trail 2023 - Dream of the great forest" race; Wild sunflower festival - Chu Dang Ya volcano; Dugout canoe racing festival on Po Ko river to compete for the A Sanh Cup and Ia Grai district Gong Culture Festival.

The festival spreads the cultural values of the Central Highlands ethnic groups. Vietnam.vn invites you to participate in the festival through the photo series "IAGRAI Gong Culture Festival" by author Pham Dang Khiem. The Gong Culture Festival is organized annually by the border district of Ia Grai to preserve and promote the traditions and unique cultural beauty of the people associated with the Po Co River. The photo series was submitted by the author to the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam", organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications .

More than 1,000 artisans from 22 artisan groups from 5 Central Highlands provinces including Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong gathered at Gia Lai Provincial Museum to recreate the village space during the festival such as recreating traditional rituals and festivals, folk art activities, cuisine, weaving, fabric weaving, and statue carving.

The highlight of Gia Lai Culture and Tourism Week 2023 is the Gong Culture Festival. In particular, the Street Festival Program attracts special attention from people in the province as well as tourists from all over the country. This is a meeting place and sublimation for both artisans and tourists. Throughout the streets of Pleiku, the bustling sound of gongs combined with the graceful xoang dance has brought new and attractive experiences to people and tourists.

One of the precious heritages that the people of the Central Highlands in general and Gia Lai province in particular have especially preserved for generations is gongs. Gongs are associated with the Central Highlands as an indispensable part of each person's life from birth until death and in important village festivals. Gongs have become a unique, valuable and charming cultural feature of the red land of the highlands. The Ba Na and Gia Rai people... consider gongs as their flesh and blood, the soul of the village.

In 2024, the Photo and Video Contest "Happy Vietnam - Happy Vietnam" continues to be organized by the Ministry of Information and Communications in coordination with the Vietnam Association of Photographic Artists on the website.   https://happy.vietnam.vn is open to all Vietnamese citizens and foreigners aged 15 and over. The contest aims to honor individuals and groups with positive information products, making practical contributions to the propaganda and promotion of a beautiful image of Vietnam to the world. Thereby helping people in the country, compatriots abroad and international friends access authentic images of the country, Vietnamese people, Vietnam's achievements in ensuring human rights, towards a happy Vietnam.

Each contest category (photo and video) has the following prizes and prize values:
– 01 Gold Medal: 70,000,000 VND
– 02 Silver Medals: 20,000,000 VND
– 03 Bronze Medals: 10,000,000 VND
– 10 Consolation prizes: 5,000,000 VND
– 01 most voted work: 5,000,000 VND
The winning authors will be invited by the Organizing Committee to attend the announcement ceremony and award prizes and certificates on live television broadcast of Vietnam Television.

Vietnam.vn