Central Highlands province busy for Gong festival

The atmosphere in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai these days is heating up with preparations for the International Gong Festival which is scheduled to be organised on Nov. 12-15. Though there are still two months to go, colourful banners for the event can be seen at every corner in the mountainous city of Pleiku.
The provincial authorities early this month issued a detailed plan for the festival, which aims to highlight the gong culture, a UNESCO-recognised “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”.
Besides the opening and closing ceremonies to be held at the Square 17/3 in Pleiku city, the festival also includes gong performances at several tourism sites such as Dong Xanh and Dien Hong parks from Nov. 13-15, and the restoration of a number of traditional rites.
Outside of Gia Lai, a photo exhibition of the gong culture will be open at the Hanoi-based Museum of Ethnology from Nov. 5-11.
The Director of the Pleiku Airport, Nguyen Thai Hoa, said the airport is well prepared to welcome a greater than normal number of passengers during these festive days, with a 17 billion VND system of signal lights now being installed.
Local tourism and travel companies have also prepared new tours to local beautiful scenes.
The excitement has also spread to villages and communes in the province.
In Ia Mnong commune, Chu Pah district, the Mrong Yo village’s gong team is training hard for the big event. The most valuable gongs preserved by locals are brought out for sound modulation.
In front of the village’s communal house, young girls and boys practise everyday in eager anticipation of the day when their gongs proudly sound at the festival, together with artists from 33 provinces and cities nationwide that preserve gongs.