Vietnam’s
Saint Giong Festival has been put among 47 nominations for recognition
as the world intangible cultural heritages by the UNESCO. The
list was announced by the UNESCO on November 9. At present, 166
heritages of 77 countries have been recognised as world intangible
cultural heritages. Vietnam has a number of heritages in this list,
including the Viet Nam court music, the cultural space of gong in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlanders), Ca Tru and the Bac Ninh folk
songs. Saint Giong Festival is a unique traditional event in Vietnam,
held annually from the 6th-12th of the fourth lunar month in many
places in Vietnam to commemorate the legendary national hero who grew
from a 3-year-old child into a giant overnight to help drive out
invaders from the country. The 9th of the fourth lunar month is the
major day for the biggest Saint Giong Festival at Phu Dong Village in
Gia Lam District of Hanoi where this national hero was born. The
festival is a chance for visitors to watch the performance of
traditional rituals and artistic activities which have been handed down
from generations to generations.