Vietnam’s cultural diversity attractive to foreigners: Thai scholar

Hanoi, March 21 (VNA) – Vietnam has unique native diversity which is attractive to foreigners, Thai scholar Songrit Pongern said in an interview on Vietnamese culture with the Vietnam News Agency’s correspondents in Bangkok. According to Songrit, Vietnam’s beautiful and rich culture is reflected in beliefs, lifestyles, and production methods, and the richness of regional customs, traditions, and art forms. Vietnam boasts dozens of cultural features recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, such as Hue Royal Court Music, cong chieng (gongs) in the Central Highlands, Bac Ninh Quan ho (love duet singing), Ca Tru - a form of traditional ceremonial singing, Phu Tho Xoan singing, Don ca tai tu (amateur music) in the Mekong Delta region, and Nghe Tinh Vi-Giam folk singing. Songrit said he had the experience like a local during his trip to Ban Lac (Lac village) in Mai Chau, northern Hoa Binh province, 30 years ago, adding that he is still impressed by the beautiful scenery and fresh air there. He said he learned how to weave fabric and make bamboo baskets, and enjoyed a meal of grilled fish with sticky rice. He recalled the merry atmosphere when dancing together with locals in the sound of drums and gongs. According to him, this is an example of the strength of culture that Vietnam can widely promote to foreigners so as to help them understand more about the country’s cultural diversity. The researcher also shared Thailand's experience in protecting and promoting cultural values, saying that his country has attached cultural promotion to tourism promotion campaigns. Thailand has worked hard on promoting its festivals and encouraging foreigners to learn about cultural festivals held year-round, he stressed. He believed that cultural diversity is an important factor for Vietnam and Thailand to further promote their cooperation in many ways, thus strengthening cultural understanding among ASEAN member countries. The two nations can jointly organised festivals with similarities such as the lantern festival in Hoi An and the Yi Peng lantern festival in Chiang Mai; and traditional culture and music exchange events, he noted. If Vietnam and Thailand boost their close cultural cooperation right now, the two Southeast Asian countries will surely witness a bright future in their increasingly close bilateral relations, he said.-VNA