Speaking at the press conference, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy underlined the urgent need to preserve the cultural values of ethnic groups with fewer than 10,000 people. She stressed that the festival aims to encourage the groups to practice their cultures in the community. The cultural beauty of the groups will also be featured in all activities of the festival, including art performances, sports activities, exhibition, sports competitions and the introduction of their festivals and cuisines. Within the framework of the festival, the participating ethnic groups will demonstrate their traditional festivals and cultural practices, and introduce their traditional costumes. The event will gather 14 ethnic minority groups from 11 localities across the country./.