Chau Docs Festival Vía Ba Chúa Xu: A step towards UNESCO recognition!

Chau Docs Festival Vía Ba Chúa Xu: A step towards UNESCO recognition!

From May 7th to 14th, the celebrations of the “Lễ hội Vía Bà Chúa Xứ Núi Sam” festival took place again in Châu Đốc. The aim of this event is to preserve and promote the cultural heritage and customs of the region. This year, an online competition was organized by the Châu Đốc Municipal People's Committee to deepen knowledge about the festival. The response was strong, with 1,165 account registrations and 1,188 participants completing a total of 4,787 competitions. The first award went to Duong Minh Thu, while Le Dieu Thuong and Nguyen Thi Anh Vuong took second places. In addition, 17 prizes were awarded in various categories, which also honored the oldest and youngest participants.

Accompanying the competitions, a cultural night was held at the Ba Chúa Xu Temple, which attracted numerous visitors. An exhibition of paintings and photographs related to the festival's theme also contributed to the celebration and visualization of intangible cultural heritage. These activities were part of the comprehensive efforts to preserve and promote the region's cultural heritage, which is to be recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, as vietnam.vn reported.

Priority for UNESCO recognition

Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recently sent a draft document to the National UNESCO Commission to propose the “Lễ hội Vía Bà Chúa Xứ Núi Sam” festival as a priority for review by the Intergovernmental Committee in 2024. Currently, Vietnam has 15 intangible cultural heritage sites recognized by UNESCO, with most located in the central and northern regions of the country. In the south there is only one recognized heritage: the art of Đờn ca tài tử.

A special feature of the festival is that it brings together various forms of heritage, including traditional festivals, folk knowledge and social customs and belief practices of the Kinh, Hoa, Khmer and Chăm ethnic groups. If the festival receives UNESCO recognition, it would be the first heritage in Vietnam to be supported by both majority and minority groups. In this way, the festival could also reflect the authentic culture of the residents of southwest Vietnam, which has been preserved for generations. This is done by hanoimoi.vn underlined.

Additionally, “The Art of Woodblock Painting of Đông Hồ” is proposed as a second priority for UNESCO nomination, further highlighting Vietnam's cultural diversity.