Ben Tre boasts first national intangible cultural heritage
The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on July 18 received a certificate recognising its Nghinh Ong or whale worshipping festival as national intangible cultural heritage.
Ben Tre (VNA) – The Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre on July 18 received a certificate rec🅺ognising its Nghinh♈ Ong or whale worshipping festival as national intangible cultural heritage, the first of its kind in the locality.
The annual festival takes place in Binh Thang commune, Binh Dai district from the 15 th -17 th day of the sixth lunar month, featuring various rituals.
During the festival, about 20 shipping boats decorated with flags, flowers and offerings set sails on the background of traditional music to express farmers’ gratitude towards the Nam Hai god (a whale) and pray for his help when they are in distress at sea, safe voyages and bumper hauls of fish.
The festival also offers an opportunity for farmers to take a rest after hard-working days and strengthen their solidarity.
Binh Thang now accommodates 613 fishing boats which bring home about 40,000 tonnes of seafood each year.
The Nghinh Ong festival is also celebrated in many other coastal localities across the country during various times of the year.-VNA
A ceremony was held in Can Gio district of Ho Chi Minh City on September 19 to recognise the Nghinh Ong (Whale worshiping) festival as a national intangible cultural heritage.
The “Nghinh Ong” , or whale worshiping festival, was launched on September 28 (August 16 in the Lunar Calendar) in Vung Tau city, the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The event served as a vibrant display of solidarity, promoting peace, cooperation, and development through cultural dialogue, and reaffirmed HCM City's role as a dynamic hub for cultural diplomacy and international friendship.
The Indian Film Festival not only honours the artistic value of cinema but also contributes to strengthening the friendship and enhancing cultural exchange between the people of Son La in particular and Vietnam in general and India.
An art exchange programme between Vietnam and Cambodia was held on the evening of June 13 in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long as part of the 2025 Cambodia Culture Week in Vietnam.
Digitalisation does not mean commercialisation or oversimplification of culture. It is a way of selecting, adapting, and spreading traditional values through a modern language.
A ritual of the festival (Source: VNA)
