Honoring ‘Practices of Then by Tay, Nung, and Thai minority groups in Vietnam’
WVR - The ceremony to receive the UNESCO's Certificate accrediting Practices of Then by Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minority groups in Vietnam as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity took place on September 3 in Tuyen Quang city, Tuyen Quang province.
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State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc attended and spoke at the ceremony.
Also attending were: Do Van Chien, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Ha Thi Khiet, former Secretary of the Party Central Committee, former Head of the Central Mass Mobilization Department of the Central Committee, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam; members of the Party Central Committee, leaders of central committees, ministries, branches and representatives of 11 provinces with Then heritage.
Among the international guests were Christian Manhart, Head of the UNESCO office in Vietnam; Ambassadors, representatives of the Embassies of the Philippines, Mongolia, Armenia, Israel and India; leader of Laos' Xieng Khouang province - a sister province with Tuyen Quang province.
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| State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and delegates at the ceremony. (Photo: VNA) |
The world’s national brand for Vietnam
On December 12, 2019, at the 14th session of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage took place in Bogotá, the capital of the Republic of Colombia, “Practices of Then by Tay, Nung, and Thai minority groups in Vietnam" was officially inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In his remarks at the ceremony, Chairman of Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van Son emphasized: "Then singing is a type of folk performance, closely linked to the life of the Tay, Nung, and Thai people. UNESCO has officially inscribed the “Practices of Then by Tay, Nung, and Thai minority groups in Vietnam" into the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in December 2019, once again affirming that the world appreciates the rich cultural treasures of the Vietnamese ethnic community.
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| Christian Manhart, Head of the UNESCO office in Vietnam delivers a speech. (Photo: VNA) |
In his speech, Head of the UNESCO office in Vietnam Christian Manhart pledged to always accompany and stand with Vietnam to bring a better life to the ethnic communities and help preserve the invaluable cultural heritage, a valuable asset for the sustainable development of Vietnam.
Speaking at the ceremony, State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasized that Then is both a folk art form and an expression of folk beliefs. Then practice is an indispensable ritual in the cultural and spiritual life of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic groups in the Northern mountainous provinces of the country.
One of Then's unique features is that the language contains cultural depth. The content of Then songs - a type of folk performance, integrated with many art forms, exudes profound humanistic thought, containing love of nature, love of couples, love of husband and wife, teachings of human morality, praises for villages and homeland…
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| State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the ceremony. (Photo: VNA) |
Then melodies are deep, inspirational, moving, and the sound is acoustic - the main instrument used in Then singing is smooth and vibrant, creating a unique folk song and dance. With its unique artistic values, Then has contributed to forging the soul, emotion and will, the aspiration to rise up, building a prosperous and happy life of the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups, passed down from generation to generation.
The State President affirmed that the registration of “Practices of Then by Tay, Nung, and Thai minority groups in Vietnam" is the national brand that the world has for the country, thereby introducing to international friends the unique cultural heritages of the Northern mountainous region of Vietnam, making this area more attractive to tourists.
The registration also helps the Tay, Nung, Thai and ethnic communities of 11 localities with Then heritage become more fully aware of Then's value, and from there be able to take practical and effective measures to preserve and promote the value of the heritage associated with the development of the country's tourism economy.
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| The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong awards the UNESCO Certificate of Registration to the leaders of Tuyen Quang province; the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc presents flowers to a Then artisan. (Photo: VNA) |
On this occasion, on behalf of the leaders of the Party and State, the State President expressed his gratitude to the ancestors who, with their talents, efforts, blood and bones, created, nurtured and passed on to their children and grandchildren this precious heritage; warmly congratulated and commended the Party committees, authorities and people of 11 provinces with Then Tay, Nung, and Thai heritage in Vietnam, especially the artisans who have made great efforts, joined hands to practice, teach, preserve and promote the precious and unique cultural heritage so that the heritage becomes more and more sustainable and pervasive as it is today.
The State President also thanked UNESCO, international organizations and friends for their valuable cooperation and assistance in socio-economic development, conservation and promotion of cultural values; and especially in supporting and honoring this very special heritage of Vietnam.
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| A Then performance at the ceremony. (Photo: Vinh Ha) |
Pride comes along with responsibility
The State President stated that along with pride is the responsibility to protect and preserve the “Practices of Then by Tay, Nung, and Thai minority groups in Vietnam" for the ancestors of the Vietnamese people, for the international community, and for human civilization.
The duty to promote the roles and responsibilities belongs to not only of the State, agencies and organizations but also to the whole community, especially the Tay, Nung and Thai communities - cultural heritage subjects and practitioners, passing on this unique heritage so that Then always shines, is worthy of a heroic country, rich in cultural traditions and thousands of years of civilization, so that the world knows more, about the country and the Vietnamese people who are beautiful and rich in identity.
