VietNamNet Bridge – Gia Lai Province in Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) is set to host the 2009 International Gong Festival in Pleiku City in the third quarter of this year.

The event is part of celebrations planned for the lead-up to the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi in 2010.

The organising committee will invite more than 10 countries and territories in Southeast Asia and Asia to take part in the festival.

The Gong Festival will express the Central Highlands gong culture as a masterpiece of the world’s oral and intangible heritage. The title was awarded by UNESCO after the Government submitted an action programme on the unique culture.

The festival is expected to attract the participation of gong troupes from five provinces in the Central Highlands, including Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong.

The festival marks an opportunity to promote the cultural value and music of the Central Highlands’ gongs to the rest of the country and the world. It also aims to promote the country’s socio-economic development, especially tourism.

(Source: VNA)