The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on April 20 organised a press briefing to introduce ca tru as a heritage in need of urgent preservation.

Professor Dang Hoanh, former vice chief of the Vietnam Music Institute, said that Vietnam’s ca tru is facing many threats and needs to be protected as soon as possible.

First of all, Vietnam has only 21 ca tru artisans, all of who are very old. Only 12 of them are able to teach ca tru to the young generation. When they pass away, ca tru may disappear with them.

Secondly, ca tru is not popular in the general community. The public does not understand ca tru and it has few opportunities to be exposed to this traditional art. As a result, ca tru has lost its important position in the lives of Vietnamese people.

Thirdly, places for ca tru performances (communal houses, royal courts and private residences) have vanished. The only space for ca tru at present is ca tru clubs.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on March 13 sent the file of ca tru to UNESCO for consideration as a world intangible heritage in need of urgent protection. UNESCO asked Vietnam to amend the file and include some supplementary materials, including a video clip, a CD, a photo album, three books about ca tru, and an electronic map of ca tru.

The electronic map comprises four contents: the areas where ca tru exists, historical relics related to ca tru, 78 steles and documents about ca tru and ca tru clubs in Vietnam.

The amended file was sent back to UNESCO on April 15.

The file meets UNESCO’s criteria and it is written or expressed in Vietnamese and English.

UNESCO will consider the amended file and comment on it and send it to member countries in June 2009. It will make its final assessment on the file in September 2009.

VietNamNet/TTXVN