Viet Nam’s Xoan singing has been added to a UNESCO list of "intangible heritage" traditions in urgent need of protection, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s National Cultural Heritage Department.
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Viet Nam’s Xoan singing has been added to a UNESCO list of "intangible heritage" traditions in urgent need of protection, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s National Cultural Heritage Department.
The decision was made at the on-going 6th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday.
Xoan singing, a vocal art form from northern Phu Tho Province, joins traditional activities from countries such as China, Brazil, Indonesia, Iran, Mali, Mauritius, Mongolia, and the United Arab Emirates.
In accordance with session reports, Viet Nam’s dossier was the best compiled and the only one to gain complete consensus from the appraisal body.
At the 36th meeting of the United Nations cultural body earlier this month in Paris, Cecille Duvel, Chief of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Section praised Viet Nam’s awareness of the importance of preserving and promoting the country’s intangible cultural heritage.
"The ministry will soon work out programmes and specific plans to protect and promote Xoan singing," said Nguyen Huu Toan, deputy head of the National Cultural Heritage Department.
This specific type of singing is usually performed in front of the communal house during village festivals in the spring. Historical, social and archaeological records state that Xoan singing first appeared in the time of the Hung Kings.
(Source: VNS)
