The Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) province of Gia Lai will host the first International Gong Festival from November 8 to 11.

Gong performance of the Ba Na ethnic group from K Bang District, Gia Lai Province. The first International Gong Festival will be held in Gia Lai Province from November 8-11.

Gong troupes from Viet Nam, including several ethnic groups will take part, together with performers from regional countries such as Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia.

Gong music is a deeply rooted part of culture in most East and South-East Asian countries.

The festival will take place from November 8 to 11 in Pleiku City to celebrate the Central Highlands’ gong culture, which was recognised by UNESCO as a unique part of the world’s heritage in December, 2005.

The opening ceremony will involve about 3,000 performers in Pleiku’s Revolutionary Square. The performance will tell a story about the history of the province and its ancient gong culture.

During the festival, many activities, including religious ceremonies accompanied by gong orchestras, contests, seminars and exhibitions will be held.

Artists and people from provincial ethnic groups, including the Jrai, Ybrom, and Bana will take part in rain worship and new year ceremonies. The performances will be held in the city’s parks and tourism areas.

Seminars on preserving gong music and developing tourism will be directed at business people.

Two exhibitions will display photos, artefacts and bonsai from Central Highlands ethnic groups.

The festival is being organised by the provincial People’s Committee and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Gia Lai and other Central Highlands provinces plan to conduct gong-playing classes for young ethnic people and encourage the old to teach them.

Viet Nam gongs consist of two main types, cong and chieng. Cong has a knob in the middle, while chieng has none. Cong makes deep bass sounds, but melodies have to be coaxed out of chieng.

VietNamNet/VNS