Quang Ngai has two national intangible cultural heritages.

On August 13, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism (VHTTDL) of Quang Ngai province announced that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has issued Decision No. 2324/QD-BVHTTDL on recognizing the pottery making profession in Sa Huynh as a national intangible cultural heritage.

Accordingly, from 2,000 to 2,500 years ago, Sa Huynh culture residents produced many types of pottery with rich forms, sophisticated patterns, diverse decorative motifs, reaching a high level of both technique and aesthetics. Sa Huynh pottery is rich in types, diverse in designs and raw materials are taken right where Sa Huynh residents reside. These are types of jars, pots, vases, bowls and plates... with unique pottery making styles, demonstrating the culture of coastal residents of Vietnam from the late Neolithic period to the early Iron Age.

Sa Huynh pottery has existed for a long time, a profession passed down from father to son. Over time, the number of households that still maintain the traditional pottery making profession can be counted on the fingers, and are concentrated in Trung Son and Vinh An villages, Pho Khanh commune, Duc Pho town. This place is located right next to An Khe lagoon, which is also the cradle of Sa Huynh culture. Unlike smooth glazed pottery with eye-catching colorful patterns, Sa Huynh pottery is completely natural pottery, handmade from 14 to 24 hours.

The revival of ancient Sa Huynh pottery was marked by the establishment of the Sa Huynh Prehistoric Pottery Cooperative (HTX) at the end of November 2023. The establishment of the Cooperative is the result of the project "Building community tourism products associated with Sa Huynh Cultural relics and An Khe lagoon" invested by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Ngai province. The purpose is to accompany and support the remaining potters in Sa Huynh to restore and simulate techniques and patterns to revive this pottery line.

In addition to the pottery making craft in Sa Huynh, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also recognized the art of decorating poles of the Cor people in Tra Bong district as a national intangible cultural heritage.

The art of decorating the pole of the Cor ethnic group has existed and developed in association with the buffalo eating festival for thousands of years and has been passed down from generation to generation, expressing the cultural identity, bearing the mark of the Cor ethnic group. The pole of the Cor people usually has three types corresponding to each different social and cultural activity, the highest is the pole erected on the Nga Ra Festival (about 10 - 15m). Notably, the pole body is decorated with two-color black and red patterns, symbolizing heaven and earth. The pole body is also hung with Gu sets (wooden painted or carved with images or motifs bearing spiritual elements of the Cor people) and an altar. The Gu set is only found in the Cor ethnic group. These can be considered unique works of sculpture and folk painting.

Along with the Gu set, the pole is also hung with wooden swallows. On top of the pole is also attached a swallow. This is the image of a bird that always catches worms, grasshoppers, and locusts to protect the rice plants. The Cor people consider swallows to be birds of the sky sent down by the gods to help them. That is why the Cor people never hunt or eat swallows.

The pole-raising ceremony is unique to the Cor people. Every time the pole-raising ceremony is held, the Cor people must perform a worship ceremony with very sacred rituals. The pole-raising ceremony is the spiritual bridge of the Cor people with the gods. The worshiping rituals are different in different steps when assembling the pole-raising ceremony or when hanging the Gu sets.

Source: https://daidoanket.vn/quang-ngai-co-2-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-quoc-gia-10287856.html