Central Highlands ethnic cultural diversity introduced

A festival honouring the making of ethnic wood sculptures and musical instruments was held in the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum on March 18.
The festival is part of the Central Highlands Folk Culture Festival and Culture Tourism Week which is set to be held in Kon Tum from March 18 to 23 with the aim to introduce an overview of the traditional cultural heritage of the ethnic minorities in the region.
During the three-day festival, 57 artisans from the five Central Highlands provinces will create wood sculptures on site.
Meanwhile, 22 other artisans will show their talents in making various kinds of ethnic musical instruments, such as T’rung, Ting ning, Koni, and Dinh Klok.
On the same day, an exhibition on traditional item collections in accordance with the cultural daily lives and costumes of the ethnic minorities was organised at the provincial museum.
Sideline activities of the exhibition include a gong-tuning custom, musical performances, and the making of handicraft products.
The Central Highlands encompasses the five provinces of Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Nong and Lam Dong, which are home to more than 5.5 million people with 36 percent of them hailing from 46 minority groups.
Several Central Highlands cultural heritages have been recognised worldwide, including the cultural space of gongs, which was recognised by UNESCO as part of the world cultural heritage in 2005.