Saint Giong Festival passes UNESCO’s first round

The documents for nomination of the Saint Giong Festival as an intangible cultural heritage of mankind meets the technical standards necessary to enter the next round of UNESCO evaluation.
Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly, Vice-Head of the Cultural Heritage Agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, told VietNamNet that this is good news.
He explained that preparing the documentation is not to Vietnam’s advantage in some cases, and Vietnam’s files have been rejected in the first round previously, such as in the case of Nam Cat Tien National Park, which was nominated for UNESCO recognition as a world natural heritage site.
The Saint Giong Festival documents were prepared by the Institute for Culture and Art, supported by the authorities and people of Gia Lam and Soc Son districts in Hanoi, plus the Cultural Heritage Agency and the Vietnam National UNESCO Committee.
The documents were first sent to Paris in late August 2009 and updated again at the request of the UNESCO and sent back in mid-January 2010.
Experts of the advisory council include those from Estonia, South Korea, Turkey, Mexico, Kenya and the United Arab Emirates. They will review the file and make a decision in a closed meeting in Paris this May 2010. The second-round results will be made public in June. The third round will take place in November 2010 in Kenya.
Thanh Giong Festival is a traditional event held annually from the 6th-12th of the fourth lunar month in many places in Vietnam. However, the 9th of the fourth lunar month is the major day for the biggest Saint Giong festival at Phu Dong village in Gia Lam district of Hanoi.
According to researchers, the most special aspect of the Saint Giong Festival is how a legendary character turned into a saint of faith now worshiped by Vietnamese people.