Vietnam’s Xoan singing will be one of the 23 heritages to be put forrecognition as a world intangible cultural heritage at the 6th Sessionof the UNESCO Intergovernmetnal Committee for Safeguarding ofIntangible Cultural Heritages to be held in Bali, Indonesia fromNov. 22-29.
The information was released by Cecile Duvelle, Chief of the IntangibleCultural Heritage Section of the UN Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganisation (UNESCO), at a press conference during the 36 th meetingof the UNESCO General Assembly in Paris on Nov. 8.
Cecile Duvelle affirmed that Vietnam sees a great possibility forsuccess as Xoan singing meets all the five compulsory criteria.
Vietnam has been fully aware of the importance of preserving andpromoting the country’s intangible cultural heritages, she said.
The country has mobilised excellent experts for working on adossier of Xoan singing to be submitted to UNESCO for recognition as an“Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Protection”, she added.
Xoan singing, a vocal art of villages in theancestral land of Phu Tho , is usually performed in front of thecommunal house during the village festivals in the spring. Based onlegends and historical, archeological and social records, researcherssay that Xoan singing first appeared a long time ago, from the time whenthe Hung Kings established the nation.
In theface of Xoan singing falling into oblivion, since August 2009, Phu Thoprovince coordinated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourismand UNESCO in organising workshops on this form of art and thesubmission of a dossier of Xoan singing for UNESCO recognition as an“Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of Urgent Protection”./.