Gia Lai opens International Gong Festival
The central province of Gia Lai opened the International Gong Festival in Pleiku ward on November 7, part of the 2026 Gong Festival – Chu Dang Ya Volcano – Wild Sunflower Week run by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Bien Ho commune.
Nearly 300 artisans representing 39 delegations from 10 cities and provinces, including Gia Lai, Quang Tri, Hue City and Da Nang, joined thousands of residents and domestic and foreign tourists at the event.
At the opening ceremony, thousands of visitors and locals watched gong performances, dances and gong medleys evoking the rice harvest and the carrying of water to the village, with tributes to a peaceful country and a warmer, more prosperous life.
On the occasion, the province announced that the Ko Do gong set has been recognised by the Prime Minister as a national treasure. The Jrai gong set is a special artifact with historical and artistic value and a store of cultural memory passed down through generations. It dates from around the late 19th to early 20th century and has eight pieces, including five flat and three bossed gongs handcrafted with refined technique to produce a warm, resonant and uniquely blended sound.
Over more than a century, the set has been kept by generations of a Jrai family and tied to traditional rituals and major community events. Each gong sound is not just music but also carries stories of ancestors, beliefs and the bond between nature and community. Its value lies not only in the rarity and intactness of the artifact but also in the folk knowledge, gong tuning technique, performance art and cultural memory held in every sound.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Pham Anh Tuan said the Central Highlands Gong Cultural Space, named by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005, is a source of pride for the Central Highlands and for Vietnam as a whole.
The week runs from October 30 - November 8, with exchanges and performances of ethnic music and instruments by clubs, bands, music groups and art units; a reenactment of the Jrai new communal house celebration, and the exhibition “Gia Lai Gong Cultural Space”.
Gia Lai showcases gong culture and scenic attractions at 2026 festival
VOV.VN - Traditional gong music, xoang dances and folk performances have brought the communal house in Ia Gri village, Gia Lai province, to life as more than 100 artisans welcomed visitors to the opening of a cultural and tourism programme celebrating the Central Highlands’ heritage and natural beauty.
