Building a Vietnamese tug-of-war heritage community network

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Tug of War Ritual and Game being recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports coordinated with Long Bien Ward and the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Association to organize a series of activities to honor this unique heritage, within the framework of the Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2025.

The event aims to affirm the enduring value of tug-of-war, a symbol of agricultural culture, associated with the aspiration for favorable weather, bountiful harvests, and community solidarity. This heritage was inscribed in 2015 at the 10th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage (held in Namibia), as a multinational dossier between Vietnam, Cambodia, South Korea, and the Philippines. Representing Vietnam were communities from Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Phu Tho, and Lao Cai.

Seated tug-of-war in Long Bien, Hanoi

After a decade of being recognized, the number of communities practicing tug-of-war in Vietnam has steadily increased, from the initial 6 to the current 10. The spread and exchange between localities have contributed to enriching the forms of practice, from seated tug-of-war, beak tug-of-war, and double tug-of-war to the tug-of-war styles of the Tay, Thai, and Giay ethnic groups, showcasing the diversity and creativity of Vietnamese folk culture.

The number of communities practicing the heritage of tug-of-war in Vietnam is constantly increasing.

The commemorative program includes two main activities: an international seminar "A Decade of Preserving and Promoting the Tug-of-War Ritual and Game" (afternoon of November 15th in Long Bien ward) and a program of exchange and demonstration of the Tug-of-War Ritual and Game (morning of November 16th at Tran Vu Temple, Long Bien ward).

The workshop is expected to bring together more than 250 delegates from Vietnam and abroad, including representatives from UNESCO, embassies of co-inscribed countries, as well as experts and communities holding the heritage. The performance will feature the Gijisi Tug-of-War Association (Korea) and eight representative tug-of-war communities from Vietnam, along with drum and lion dance performances by artists from Sehan University (Korea).

The highlight of the event was the launch of the Vietnam Tug-of-War Heritage Community Network, marking a new development in the journey of connecting, transmitting, and promoting the vitality of this representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/xay-dung-mang-luoi-cong-dong-di-san-keo-co-viet-nam-post823024.html