PANO - Thai ethnic communities from eight provinces of Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Son La, Hoa Binh, Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Thanh Hoa, and Nghe An on the evening of December 27th gathered at the People's Square of Lai Chau City to attend the opening ceremony of the first Thai Ethnic Festival - Lai Chau 2014. Le Hong Anh, Politburo Member, other high-ranking delegates and international delegations attended the event.

A traditional folk game held at the festival

Themed "Preserving and promoting the values of the Thai cultural values in the new context of the integration and development of the country", the festival attracted more than 700 artisans and artists of the Thai ethnic group from all parts of the country. This is also a chance for people to exchange experience, learn and raise awareness of the conservation and preservation of ethnic cultural identities. During the festival, traditional sports, folk games, folk singing, dancing, and traditional cultural practices are held to highlight the cultural values of a great community festival.

As the third largest ethnic community among the nation’s 54 ethnic groups, the Thai group has its own unique and diversified cultural features. These cultural values have been formed and developed from the long history of the group, contributing significantly to the building of an advanced culture of Vietnam deeply imbued with national identity. Therefore, the preservation of the cultural values of the Thai group is significant to the cultural development and integration of the country, upholding the spirit of preserving and passing cultural values on to future generations.

Translated by Chung Anh