Two more Vietnamese traditions are vying for recognition as UNESCO world heritages.

On March 31, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism submitted files on don ca tai tu (southern amateur music) and Hung Kings Temple Festival to UNESCO for consideration as intangible cultural heritages.

Don ca tai tu is folk music which originated in the Mekong Delta at the end of the 19th century. Don ca tai tu is usually performed by farmer bandsmen and singers using the monochord, two-chord guitar, two-chord fiddle, and 16- chord zither.

The Hung Kings’ Temple Festival celebrates the death anniversary of Hung Kings who are believed to be Vietnamese ancestors and the first rulers of the nation.

Every year, millions gather in the northern province of Phu Tho, the hometown of the kings’ temple, on the tenth day of the third lunar month to worship their ancestors. The festival includes a palanquin procession, an incense-offering ceremony, a lion dance, performances of xoan (ancestor worship songs) and ca tru (classic opera).

This year’s festival, to be held from April 7-12 (the 5th-10th of the third lunar month), is expected to draw six million visitors during the six-day event.

So far, UNESCO has recognized Nha nhac cung dinh Hue city (Hue royal court music), quan ho Bac Ninh (Bac Ninh love duets), ca tru (an ancient genre of chamber music featuring female vocalists), the Giong Festival and the Central Highlands Gong Cultural Space as intangible cultural heritages.