Soc Trang(VNA) – The first Khmer folk singing festival of the Mekong Delta region openedin Soc Trang province on October 1, drawing more than 300 contestants, mostly students,amateur artists and artisans from regional localities.
The 96 performances atthe festival were themed around the Party, President Ho Chi Minh, as well aspositive changes in several localities, the love for homeland, traditional festivals,and family sentiments.
Following the openingceremony, audiences were able to enjoy nine folk performances.
Soc Trang is home to alarge society of Khmer people. According to Nguyen Van Bon, Director of theprovincial radio and TV station and head of the organising board, the event isa chance for amateur singers to share and exchange experience to promote thetraditional culture of Khmer people through folk songs and musical instruments.
The festival is alsoan opportunity to honour, preserve, and develop the unique art of the Khmerpeople, contributing to developing the cultural identities of the group, while meetingthe demand for folk art from locals and audiences from other localities, hesaid.
The festival will rununtil October 5 in Studio 3 of the Soc Trang radio-TV station. The opening andclosing ceremonies are broadcast live on channels STV1 and STV2 of Soc TrangTV, as well as channel 5 of the Vietnam Television. –VNA