Hundreds of pictures depicting the cultural and spiritual life of the Kinh, Hoa, Cham and Khmer people in HCMC was also displayed in the exhibition titled “Cultural Traits of Peoples in HCMC” at District 5’s Cultural Centre.

Featured in the music and dance programme will be Chinese traditional music, don ca tai tu (traditional southern folk music) and Cham and Khmer dances performed by artists from the Bong Sen (Lotus) Theatre.

The HCMC Information and Exhibition Centre will open an exhibition featuring images of Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups at the Lam Son Park in District 1.

The centre will also bring the Kinh and Hoa traditional musical forms to a two-day festival at the Dong Mo Commune in Hanoi’s Son Tay Town to celebrate the Ethnic Groups’ Cultural Day. The festival in the capital city will also host an exhibition titled “Hoa People’s Cultural Imprints in HCMC” presenting 10 water-colour and calligraphy works by Hoa artisans.

Ethnic Hoa painter Truong Han Minh will demonstrate his calligraphy and finish a water-colour on Dong Mo before presenting them to the Vietnam Culture and Tourism Village.

Artisan Nam Dum will create the 1.4 m high and 1.6 m wide fruit sculpture using papaya, mandarin, grapefruit, mango, mangosteen, pear, apple and coconut.

All Kinh and Hoa artisans who participate in the festival will wear their traditional ao dai with khan dong (turbans) and trousers or skirts with five panel vests.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism says the festival celebrating the nation’s first Ethnic Groups’ Culture Day will attract about 1,500 artists and artisans from 33 cities and provinces.

The festivities will be broadcast live on the VTV1 channel on Sunday night, April 19, 2009