Vi-Giam folk music was officially selected as a representative of
Vietnamese heritage seeking UNESCO’s recognition as a World Intangible
Cultural Heritage in 2014.
The announcement was
made by the Department of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of
Culture, Sports and Tourism on March 23.
According
to the department, a dossier requesting the recognition is being
finalised to be submitted to UNESCO before the March 31 deadline.
Vi-Giam singing is popular in nearly 260 villages in the central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh.
The two provinces have 51 singing clubs with over 800 vocalists, many of whom are actively preserving the folk music.
Vi-Giam folk music, estimated to have 15 tunes of Vi and 8 airs of Giam, is a repartee sung while working. It reflects the work, cultural
lives and feelings of the residents in the central coastal provinces.
Vietnam now has seven examples of intangible heritage
recognised by UNESCO as world intangible heritages, namely Hue’s royal
court music, Gong space culture in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands), the
northern province of Bac Ninh’s love duet singing, the Giong festival,
Ca Tru ceremonial singing, Xoan singing, and Hung Kings’ worship.-VNA