Published:  00:00 Tuesday - July 21, 2009

The Hanoi City People’s Committee has requested that steps be taken for the local Giong Festival to be recognised by UNESCO as the world’s intangible cultural heritage.

The Ministry of Culture, Information and Tourism has been asked to consider the proposal, which if accepted, would put the Vietnam Culture and Art Institute in charge of creating a dossier for submission to UNESCO in August.

The Giong Festival is held from the sixth to the 12th day of the fourth lunar month every year at Phu Dong (or Giong) Village in Gia Lam District, Hanoi, as well as in some other regions of the capital including Phu Ninh Village in Soc Son District and Xuan Dinh Village of Tu Liem District. The main festival day is on the 9th day of the month.

The festival is original, because it commemorates a legendary character that ancient Vietnamese turned into an immortal saint, according to Professor Nguyen Chi Ben, head of the Vietnam ’s Culture and Art Institute.

Cultural researcher Ben says: "This is not only the biggest festival in the capital city, but also the biggest in the entire northern plain."

The festival celebrates Saint Giong, a legendary Vietnamese hero who fought against the northern invaders.

This festival is considered one more testament to the indomitable spirit of the Vietnamese nation when pitted against foreign invaders.

Festival performances recount Saint Giong’s celebrated battles as his troops squared off against the aggressors, symbolised by crowds of people from four communes in Phu Dong Village.

The festival also involves young boys and girls acting out the performance’s most important parts, after having practiced for the festival all year.