Exchanging two buffalos for a gong set is a vivid example of how theintangible heritage has effectively been preserved in the CentralHighlands province of Gia Lai.

The Yang Bac communePeople’s Committee has for many years allowed youth unions from localvillages borrow land for farming, earning dozens of million VND peryear. The money is used to cover their operation expenses, especiallygong purchases.

Secretary of the Yang Bac CommunistYouth Union Dinh Drap shared that his generation has fallen in love withthe traditional instrument’s sound and all of them know how to play it.

Gong troupes have been set up gathering young people across 15 villages, he said.

In Gia Lai, in a bid to bring the music closer to children, manyboarding schools have started teaching the gong as part of theireducational programmes.

The province also organises a provincial gong festival every 4 years and a district-level event every two years.

Gia Lai is now preserving 5,655 gong sets, including 932 rare items.

The Central Highlands region, which comprises the five provinces ofDak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum, is home to stunningmythical landscapes and a significant population of diverse ethnicminorities and cultures.

In particular, the region’s gong culture was recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.-VNA