Published: 00:00 Thursday - October 04, 2007
Nearly 500 singers, dancers and musicians from 14 provinces and cities nationwide have gathered for a festival featuring the traditional folk music of the northern mountainous ethnic minority people.
Addressing the opening ceremony in the northern mountainous province of Cao Bang on October 3, Head of the festival’s organising board Nong Thi Thanh Tam said that the event, the second of its kind in the country, is aiming to secure UNESCO’s recognition of “Then” singing and “dan tinh”, a traditional musical instrument of the Tay, Nung and Thai ethnic minorities, as a world cultural heritage.
The festival is not only an exchange between artisans but will also help to nurture the creation of new “Then” tunes, said Tran Chien Thang, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
The “Then” singing is a performance of music, singing and dancing, which is often seen at traditional festivals, funeral and wedding ceremonies, providing a vivid portrayal of the spiritual life and customs of the ethnic minorities. 
