Northern Vietnam’s traditional Xoan Singing is likely to become the next UNESCO world intangible heritage, a senior official at the UN body told the media in Paris, France, Tuesday.
It is in a nomination list with others like Balinese Traditional Dance or Noken Papua Handicraft from Indonesia and will be considered to choose the world’s new oral and intangible heritages at a meeting in Bali (Indonesia) from November 22 to 29.
To qualify for the recognition, a heritage has to be traditional but still alive, inclusive, representative, and community-based.
Xoan Singing, or Hat Xoan as it is known in Vietnamese, is a festive music performed during spring festivals and for worshiping genies in Phu Tho Province for the last hundreds of years.
Cecile Duvelle, Secretary of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding of The Intangible Cultural Heritage told the media that Xoan Singing had a high chance of success since it was one among the world’s 23 heritages urgently in need of protection and preservation.
She also praised the Vietnamese government’s efforts to preserve intangible heritages through wise and responsible actions and its expertise in nominating and registering for UNESCO recognition.
The dossier on Xoan Singing was submitted to the intergovernmental agency for recognition last April.
Vietnam now has five world intangible heritages – Hue’s Royal Court Music, Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands, Bac Ninh Folk Music, Giong Festival, and Chamber Music.
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