Grand festival honours ethnic cultures

      Thousands of people from many different ethnic groups nationwide gathered at the Vietnam Ethnic Culture and Tourism Village in Son Tay, Hanoi, on August 18 for Vietnamese Ethnic Cultures Day, the first ever held in Vietnam.
The event, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, started with gong performances by artists from the Central Highland province of Kontum and Cham dances by actresses from the southcentral province of Ninh Thuan.
The event, showing the many different cultures of the country’s 54 ethnic minorities, is expected to grow in popularity and become a regular major cultural event during the nation’s integration process.
A large cultural programme, including five chapters, took place at the Ethnic Culture and Tourism Village on the evening of April 19 with the attendance of ethnic groups from 33 provinces and cities nationwide.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung recently issued a decision marking April 19 as Vietnamese Ethnic Cultures Day.