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The third Cai Rang Floating Market Culture and Tourism Festival kicked off in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on July 7.
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A corner of
Cai Rang floating market (Source: VNA)
The annual festival is part of activities to respond to the
Vietnam Tourism Day (July 9), and honour and promote the images and culture of
the Cai Rang floating market, a national intangible cultural heritage.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s
Committee Le Van Tam stressed that the Cai Rang floating market is one of the
highlights of Can Tho’s tourism as it honours cultural values of river areas
and trading on the rivers.
The market’s operation helps transfer economic structure, create jobs and
attract investment, contributing to promoting the locality’s socio-economic
development and raising its position.
The organiser said a wide range of activities are featured in the three-day
event, including a parade of tourism boats, a composite boat race, a
photo, book and magazine exhibition, tourism promotion programmes and a Don ca
tai tu performance exchange.
The Cai Rang Floating Market, located about 6km from the centre of Can Tho
city, has been around for centuries. It is a prime example of the waterway
market culture in the southwestern region, where people buy and sell goods on
boats.
It becomes an attractive destination for tourists, helping the locality to
promote tourism development.
The municipal authority has made efforts to preserve and develop the heritage,
focusing on raising public awareness of the importance of the market for
tourism development, enhancing tourism links in the region, towards attracting
more and more holiday-makers to the city.
Source: VNA
Gongs hold a special place in the cultural and spiritual life of the Muong ethnic people in Hoa Binh province. More than musical instruments, they are an indispensable part of community rituals and collective memory, echoing through generations as a spiritual thread linking the past, present, and future.
Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Muong ethnic group has become an urgent task in the current context, as many traditional values face the risk of fading away. This effort requires not only protecting the cultural identity but also eliminating outdated customs and developing a modern cultural lifestyle, contributing to sustainable values for the Muong community in Hoa Binh province.
The Muong ethnic culture, deeply rooted in Vietnam’s mountainous north, continues to be preserved and revitalised by dedicated individuals and communities determined to safeguard their ancestral identity.
The Muong group is one of the largest ethnic minorities in Vietnam, primarily found in Hoa Binh province. The Muong people in Hoa Binh boast a rich and diverse cultural treasure that reflects the unique identity of this ethnic group. Accounting for over 63% of the province's population, they have created and preserved numerous distinctive cultural values, contributing to their unique identity. Their cultural heritage is an invaluable asset, at the heart of their national identity, and represents a vibrant spiritual life that must be preserved and promoted in today’s modern world.
For generations, the ethnic communities of Hoa Binh province, particularly the Muong people, have preserved vibrant festivals deeply intertwined with the region’s geography, nature, and social traditions. These celebrations enrich Hoa Binh’s spiritual life and cultural identity, reflecting both folk beliefs and the intermingling of ethnic customs. Many of these festivals have endured the test of time, passed down through generations and continuing to thrive today. Among them, the Khai Ha (Going Down to the Field) festival stands out as one of the most significant events of the Muong ethnic group.
Muong calendar, known as sach doi, is an ancient folk knowledge system developed through observations of the movement of the pleiades star. This unique calendar consists of 12 bamboo sticks, each representing a lunar month. Specific days within each month are marked with distinct symbols, guiding locals in determining auspicious and inauspicious days for important activities.
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