HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam has added six more cultural icons to the list of national intangible cultural heritages under a recent decision by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The additional heritages include a forest worshiping ceremony of the Phù Lá ethnic minority in the northern mountain province of Hà Giang’s Xín Mần District; the Nàng Hai Festival or Moon Festival of the ethnic Tày Ngạn in Hà Giang Province’s Bắc Quang District; the Thanh Liệt Temple Festival in the central province of Nghệ An’s Hưng Nguyên District; the Thượng Liệt Village Festival in the northern province of Thái Bình’s Đông Hưng District; the Độc Cước Temple Festival in the central province of Thanh Hóa’s Sầm Sơn Town; and the Thọ Vực Temple Festival in the northern province of Tuyên Quang’s Sơn Dương District.

The six intangible cultural heritages recognised this time belong to two categories of social religious customs and traditional festivals.

In the decision, the culture ministry assigned the authorities at all levels in localities where intangible cultural heritages are located to be responsible for management of the heritages within the scope of their duties and in accordance with the law and regulations on cultural heritages.

Earlier, in September, the culture ministry announced eight additional national intangible cultural heritages.

They include papermaking by the Dao Đỏ ethnic people in Bắc Quang District, Hà Giang Province; Đúm singing in Thủy Nguyên District, the northern port city of Hải Phòng; Quả Sơn Temple Festival in Đô Lương District, Nghệ An Province; as well as Lăng Sương Temple Festival in Thanh Thủy District, the northern province of Phú Thọ.

Others consist of the coming of age worship ritual by the Ê Đê ethnic group in Sơn Hòa District, the central province of Phú Yên; Bà Linh Sơn Thánh Mẫu (Mother Goddess of the Mountain) Festival in the southern province of Tây Ninh; water puppetry in Đông Hưng District, Thái Bình Province; as well as the traditional bronze casting of Chè Village in Thiệu Hóa District, Thanh Hóa Province.

As of September 2018, the country boasted nearly 260 national intangible cultural heritages. – VNS