Socialist Republic of Vietnam

A cong chieng (gong) festival kicked off in Gia Lai province Tuesday evening to formally receive UNESCO’s certification recognizing Vietnam’s Central Highland gong culture as an intangible cultural heritage.

Many country’s leaders, including President Tran Duc Luong, attended the opening ceremony.

The ceremony opened with performances of outstanding gong troupes of the 11 ethnic peoples in the Central Highlands – Ba Na, J’rai, Brau, Gie Trieng, Chu Ru, K’ho, E De, Ma, M’nong, Ro Mam and Xo Dang.

A UNESCO representative handed over the certificate to chairmen of the five Central Highland provinces – Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, and Dak Nong.

At the event, Minister of Culture and Information Pham Quang Nghi announced a national action program to restore and preserve cong chieng culture in the Central Highlands

Nearly 2,000 ethnic artisans from the Central Highland provinces have gathered in Gia Lai’s capital of Pleiku to attend the two-day festival, described as the largest of its type in Vietnam so far.

Unique gongs

Gongs, although of mysterious origins are an integral part of ethnic minority cultures in Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, and Dak Nong provinces in the Central Highlands.

In ancient times, they were sometimes cast in gold or silver. But nowadays, most are made from an alloy of copper, zinc and lead.

Tay Nguyen gongs come in a variety of shapes and sizes: cong have a nipple and produce a single, uniform sound, while chieng are flat and offer a wider range of notes.

Different sized gongs are characterized by names like Mother, Father, and Older Sister.

Resting on the thigh or hanging from a frame, gongs can be drummed by hand or with a cloth-covered stick, and fathers pass playing skills down to sons as a right of passage.

UNESCO’s proclamation

UNESCO last November recognized Vietnam’s gong culture as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

The culture of Central Highland cong chieng was one of 43 intangible cultural heritages recognized by the UNESCO during its meeting in Paris from Nov. 20-24, the third time UNESCO has recognized world intangible heritages since 2003.

UNESCO also recognized Vietnam's nha nhac (Hue court music) as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in its second proclamation in 2003, which also proclaimed 26 other masterpieces.

The organization has since 2001 recognized 90 masterpieces worldwide.

Source: Thanh Nien News

Reported by Dinh Phu, Tran Cong – Translated by Thu Thuy