The Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang is undertaking maximumefforts to preserve and develop the unique cultures of its ethnicminorities, who make up 14.5 percent of the local population.
The Ok-Om-Bok festival, which is held annually in Go Quao district,has been upgraded into a culture-tourism-sports festival featuring avariety of activities, such as art performances, trade fairs and photoexhibitions, showcasing the social-economic achievements, culture andcuisine of the Khmer group.
Campaigns to eradicateilliteracy and offer bilingual education were launched in such districtswith large communities of ethnic minorities, as Chau Thanh, Go Quao andGiong Rieng, said Danh Nho, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Board under theProvincial People’s Council.
More than 30 schoolsacross the locality teach in ethnic minority languages in addition toVietnamese while hundreds of classes teaching Khmer are run at pagodasover the summer holidays.
The local budget wasearmarked for assisting the upgrade of Khmer and Hoa (ethnic Chinese)pagodas. In particular, more than 25 billion VND (1.1 million USD) wasspent on the construction of crematoriums, the purchase of five-tonnemusical instruments, and the building of iconic, long, narrow boats for“Ngo” boat race, a distinctive traditional festival of the Khmer people.
In addition to increasing air time for broadcasts in Khmer,the province now publishes magazines and newspapers in the language ofits ethnic minority readers.
The locality is alsodedicating resources to the protection of tangible and intangiblecultural heritages in line with social-economic and tourism development,with a particular focus on preserving languages, costumes, religionsand festivals.-VNA
The Ok-Om-Bok festival, which is held annually in Go Quao district,has been upgraded into a culture-tourism-sports festival featuring avariety of activities, such as art performances, trade fairs and photoexhibitions, showcasing the social-economic achievements, culture andcuisine of the Khmer group.
Campaigns to eradicateilliteracy and offer bilingual education were launched in such districtswith large communities of ethnic minorities, as Chau Thanh, Go Quao andGiong Rieng, said Danh Nho, Head of the Ethnic Affairs Board under theProvincial People’s Council.
More than 30 schoolsacross the locality teach in ethnic minority languages in addition toVietnamese while hundreds of classes teaching Khmer are run at pagodasover the summer holidays.
The local budget wasearmarked for assisting the upgrade of Khmer and Hoa (ethnic Chinese)pagodas. In particular, more than 25 billion VND (1.1 million USD) wasspent on the construction of crematoriums, the purchase of five-tonnemusical instruments, and the building of iconic, long, narrow boats for“Ngo” boat race, a distinctive traditional festival of the Khmer people.
In addition to increasing air time for broadcasts in Khmer,the province now publishes magazines and newspapers in the language ofits ethnic minority readers.
The locality is alsodedicating resources to the protection of tangible and intangiblecultural heritages in line with social-economic and tourism development,with a particular focus on preserving languages, costumes, religionsand festivals.-VNA
