Thousands of local people and visitors have flocked to Tien Du district in the northern province of Bac Ninh to attend the Lim festival, which honours Quan Ho (love duet singing) – the world intangible cultural heritage recognised by UNESCO.
Quan Ho is
performed on boats - Illustrative image (Source: VNA)
The annual festival takes place on February 27-28 or the 12th and
13th days of the Lunar New Year.
The incense-offering rituals were organised at Hong An pagoda (Lim pagoda) on
Lim Hill. The pagoda is dedicated to Nguyen Dinh Dien (Hieu Trung Hau),
who invented Quan Ho.
The Lim festival contributes to preserving the locality’s traditional cultural
values and promoting images and tourism potential of Bac Ninh.
The organising board has arranged six areas and one stage for Quan Ho singing.
Quan Ho is also performed on boats, and at pagodas and communal houses in Noi
Due and Lien Bao communes, and Lim town.
Besides Quan Ho singing, the festival also features various folk games such as
traditional wrestling, earthenware pot breaking, and bamboo swinging.
The art of love duets was inscribed in UNESCO’s representative list of intangible
cultural heritage in September 2009.
Quan Ho is an art form that combines various elements, including music,
lyrics and costumes, and features the distinctive culture of people in the
region formerly called Kinh Bac.
The singing represents different kinds of relationships -- the
relationship between male and female singers as romantic lovers, the
relationship between two friendly villages and the relationship between
performers and the audience. Each element helps define Quan Ho, give it
life and meaning, and the resulting harmony is so much more than just a
beautiful song.
Source: VNA
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
Recognising the importance of cultural heritage preservation in protecting and promoting the value system of Vietnamese culture, and serving socio-economic development in the new period, Party committees and local administrations in Hoa Binh province have identified it as a key task in the cultural development strategy. The province has been making efforts in mobilising resources, creating consensus among people and engaging ethnic communities in preserving and promoting cultural identity.
Hoa Binh province has captured growing attention both domestically and internationally for its distinctive cultural heritage and rich history. Most notably, it has been renowned for its famous Hoa Binh culture, considered the cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilisation. Looking ahead to significant milestones in 2025 and the 140th anniversary of province establishment in 2026, Hoa Binh Newspaper presents a comprehensive overview of the province's development across economic, social, cultural, tourism, and security domains.
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