Nghe Folk Singing Festival 2012 opens

The Nghe ‘Vi, Giam’ Folk Singing Festival 2012, jointly organised by the Nghe An and Ha Tinh provincial People’s Committees, opened on June 23 in Vinh city, Nghe An province.
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, former Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Manh Cam, and representatives from central agencies, provinces and cities attended the festival’s opening ceremony, along with local leaders and representatives.
An outstanding performance entitled “Vi, Giam Folk Singing – the Soul of the Nghe Region” was performed by over 300 singers and famous artists.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Ho Duc Phoc, Deputy Secretary of the Nghe An provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Nghe An People’s Committee, said that the precious intangible cultural heritage of ‘Vi, Giam’ folk singing is an integral spiritual part of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, known collectively as the 'Nghe region'. The local people have preserved and promoted the value of their special singing through the generations in community activities, he added.
Deputy Secretary Phoc also said that the festival is an opportunity to promote the beauty and value of this unique folk music genre and encourage the country to create a dossier to submit to UNESCO to recognise ‘Vi, Giam’ folk singing as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in urgent need of safeguarding.
The three-day festival includes performances of ‘Vi, Giam’ singing at Binh Minh square in Cua Lo town, Kim Lien commune stadium, Nam Dan district, and Vinh city in Nghe An province, as well as Nghi Xuan district in Ha Tinh province.