Cultural and sports exchanges celebrate Great National Unity Festival

On November 14, at the Dao Thanh Y Cultural Conservation Area in Bang Ca hamlet, Quang La commune, the Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs and Quang La Commune People’s Committee organised a cultural and sports exchange programme in response to Vietnam Culture Day (November 24), in conjunction with the Great National Unity Festival (November 18).

A highlight of the programme was a series of sports exchanges featuring three events: tug of war, stick pushing and sack racing. The lively and enthusiastic activities helped strengthen exchanges and bonds among ethnic communities and religious organisations in the area.

The programme also featured cultural performances, culinary exchanges and presentations of distinctive ethnic cultural traditions. Performances rich in traditional identity and local speciality dishes helped create a diverse cultural space, giving delegates and local people more opportunities to learn, share and deepen their understanding and appreciation of the cultural values of each ethnic group.

The choice of the Dao Thanh Y Cultural Conservation Area as the venue also helped introduce the traditional cultural space of the Dao community in Bang Ca hamlet. Quang La is home to a large ethnic minority population, with many cultural values preserved through generations. The customs, practices, traditional costumes and rituals of the Dao Thanh Y, Dao Thanh Phan and Tay communities contribute to the distinctive character of local cultural life. In particular, the Dao Thanh Y coming-of-age ceremony and the Tay new rice celebration were inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2024.

On this occasion, the organisers presented 20 gifts to disadvantaged ethnic minority households, students with outstanding academic achievements, wounded and sick soldiers, and families of people who rendered services to the revolution in the commune.