Festival "Coming back to Quan Ho land - 2023", connecting quintessence of intangible cultural heritages registered by UNESCO

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (first row), Secretary of the Bac Ninh Provincial Party Committee Nguyen Anh Tuan (second from right), Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Nguyen Quoc Chung (3^rd from the right), Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Huong Giang (4th from the right) and leaders attend the Festival.

The Central participants at the ceremony were Mr. Tran Hong Ha, Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Deputy Prime Minister; leaders of a number of Central Committees, Ministries and branches; representatives of provinces and cities.

Bac Ninh’s participants at the ceremony were Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Head of the Provincial Delegation of National Assembly Deputies Nguyen Anh Tuan; Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council Nguyen Quoc Chung; Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Huong Giang; Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vuong Quoc Tuan; former leaders of the province through the periods; members of the Provincial Party Standing Committee; Provincial Permanent People's Council; leaders of the People's Committee, the Fatherland Front Committee, the Provincial Delegation of National Assembly Deputies; Generals of the armed forces of Bac Ninh homeland; leaders of departments, branches, sectors of provinces, districts and cities, together with hundreds of artists, artisans and strata of people inside and outside the province.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Chairwoman Nguyen Huong Giang affirmed that Bac Ninh, formerly known as Kinh Bac, is rich in historical, cultural and revolutionary traditions in Vietnam. “Bac Ninh is the land where the Ly dynasty that developed Dai Viet (Vietnam) civilization was formed. It is the ancestral home of Buddhism, and the first center of Confucianism in the country. Throughout thousands of years in history, Bac Ninh has possessed a system of diverse, rich and unique cultural heritages.”

Notably, she said among local folk performances, Quan Ho (love duet singing) has been recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage practice. Since its recognition in 2009, the art genre has been invested, preserved, and popularized both domestically and internationally.

The festival 2023 themed Coming back to Quan Ho land is one of the activities to continue fulfilling Vietnam’s commitment to UNESCO regarding preserving and promoting the value of the representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

According to Chairwoman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Huong Giang, the “Returning to the land of Quan ho 2023,” with 30 special cultural, sport and tourism activities, aims to connect the quintessence and cultural identities of all regions across the country. It draws the participation of many localities owning UNESCO-recognised heritages such as Phu Tho, Ha Tinh, Thua Thien-Hue, Dak Lak, Bac Lieu and Quang Nam. The festival sees the performance of more than 1,000 artists.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha hands over certificates recognising three national treasures in Bac Ninh to a representative of the provincial administration. The items include a stone stele of Tinh Lu Pagoda, which was made in the Year of the Rat 1648. It is being kept at Tinh Lu Pagoda in Lang Ngam commune, Gia Binh district. The second one is the statue of Quan The Am (Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattv) in Cung Kiem-Thuong Phuc Pagoda, dated back to the Year of the Snake 1449. The statue is currently worshiped at Cung Kiem-Thuong Phuc Pagoda in Nhan Hoa commune, Que Vo district. The last one is a Dong Son Culture bronze jar, which was made 2,200-2,300 years ago (3rd-2nd centuries BC). It is being kept at Nam Hong Royal Museum in Tu Son city.