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| Introductions by ethnic groups at the opening ceremony of the first Cultural Festival of Ethnic Groups with Populations Under 10,000. (Source: VNA) |
On the evening of November 3rd, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with the People's Committee of Lai Chau province, inaugurated the first Cultural Festival of Ethnic Groups with Populations Under 10,000 and the Lai Chau Tourism and Culture Week 2023, themed "Preserving, Promoting and Spreading the Traditional Cultural Identity of Ethnic Minorities." Central Party Committee Secretary and Head of the Central Committee's Foreign Affairs Department, Le Hoai Trung, and representatives from central ministries and agencies attended the festival. International guests included representatives from Jinping County, Yunnan Province (China); members of delegations and businesses from three northern Lao provinces; and businesses from Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. In her opening remarks at the festival, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy emphasized: “The traditional culture of ethnic minorities with very small populations is a precious heritage. It is not only the property of a particular region, people, or locality, but also an invaluable asset of the nation, contributing to the richness, diversity, and unity of Vietnamese culture.” Affirming that “preserving the traditional cultural identity of ethnic minorities with very small populations is a political,
economic , and social task of special importance in building and developing the country,” Deputy Minister Trinh Thi Thuy stated that the first-ever festival of culture of ethnic groups with populations under 10,000 in Lai Chau province aims to honor and promote the value of the identity of these ethnic minorities; contribute to educating patriotic traditions, national pride, and strengthening the unity of all ethnic groups. To encourage each individual's efforts to strive for excellence, along with their aspirations and determination to build a more prosperous, civilized, and cultured homeland.
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| Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy affirmed that the first-ever Cultural Festival of Ethnic Groups with Populations Under 10,000 in Lai Chau Province is a particularly meaningful cultural event. (Source: VNA) |
Organizing the Festival also demonstrates the Party and State's concern for ethnic affairs in general and for ethnic minority communities in particular; it is an opportunity for each citizen to express their feelings, gratitude, and appreciation for the great contributions of the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, and generations of ancestors who have worked hard to build, preserve, and develop their land. The Festival is an opportunity to introduce and promote the potential and strengths of cultural, sports, tourism, and traditional culture of ethnic groups in the process of reform, integration, and development; contributing to raising the awareness and responsibility of all levels, sectors, and people in the work of preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam. Expressing his honor and pride in being chosen as the host of the Festival, Chairman of the Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee Le Van Luong affirmed that this is an opportunity for localities to exchange experiences, interact, and learn in order to strengthen the great national unity; The event aims to honor and promote the core values of the fine traditional culture of 14 ethnic groups with populations under 10,000 people from 11 provinces across the country. Mr. Le Van Luong hoped that during their stay, delegates and visitors would spend time experiencing and having the best impressions of the land and people of Lai Chau, the homeland of 4 out of the 14 ethnic groups with populations under 10,000 people nationwide. At the opening ceremony, representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the leaders of Lai Chau province presented commemorative flags and flowers to the participating provinces. Immediately after the ceremony, the opening art program of the festival took place with 3 parts: Aspiration to rise with the vast forest; Shimmering colors of the vast forest; and Majestic Lai Chau - Joyful festival. The art program features a selection of unique folk songs, folk dances, and folk music reflecting the distinct identities of various ethnic groups, as well as some famous songs from provinces with ethnic minority populations. Through this, it introduces and promotes the culture, beliefs, perspectives, and progress of life, as well as the quintessential values in folk
music and performing arts.
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| A spectacular cultural performance to welcome the opening ceremony. (Source: VNA) |
The first Cultural Festival of Ethnic Groups with Populations Under 10,000 took place from November 3-5 with many attractive cultural, sports, and tourism activities such as: Performances and presentations of excerpts from festivals; traditional cultural rituals; a folk art festival; competitions in traditional sports; an off-road motorcycle race; and the Putaleng open-road paragliding competition… In addition, the Organizing Committee created an exhibition space to introduce characteristic cultural products of ethnic groups with populations under 10,000 from various localities; demonstrations of traditional handicrafts of these ethnic groups; and cultural and traditional sports exchanges among the ethnic groups. On this occasion, Lai Chau province is organizing the Lai Chau Tourism and Culture Week 2023 with activities including surveying and connecting domestic travel businesses with three northern Lao provinces (Phongsaly, Oudomxay, and Luang Prabang) and Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China; a seminar to assess the potential for exploiting and developing the province's tourism products; organizing an exhibition space to introduce and promote tourism and typical
agricultural products; and an exhibition space to promote and sample tea, ginseng, orchids, and ornamental plants from Lai Chau.
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