Highlanders use gong orchestras in festivals to celebrate a victory, sacrifice a buffalo, bury tombs, or welcome a good harvest.

People in the Central Highlands believe that when the gong is played, there is an encounter between the human and spirit worlds, between the worlds of the living and the dead. Gongs are closely associated with each stage of life. In the ceremony of "blowing the ear" for a newborn child, the sound of a gong serves to declare the official acceptance of a new community member. When men and women get married, the sound of a gong during the ceremony to exchange necklaces is a reminder to the new couple to observe family and community traditions. The sound is so deep that it rings only once in each lifetime.

When pests are destroying by crops or a war rages, gongs urge young people to dash to the battlefield and struggle for the survival of the community. If the gong is struck lightly and quickly, it heralds a victory or the ceremony for killing buffalo. When the gong sounds slow and heavy, then it brings news of a death. The gong is warmed during a night of rest or sat around a fire with a pot of wine after a good harvest when young people gather to sing and dance and tell of their love. When the gong sounds from the communal house, it can be heard all over the mountain and forest as a call for young men to return to the village. When an old man or woman passes away, the gong echoes their farewell.

Highlanders thus hear gong music from the time they are born until they die. Although they have no formal musical training, they play gongs together harmoniously without requiring a conductor.

Traditionally, gongs are also important measures of community wealth. Each gong is worth dozens of buffaloes. Rich families may possess many gongs, while others may have only one.

The world of gongs is rich and diverse. There are various types of gongs, such as cong (gongs with a nipple) and chieng (gongs without one), and there are also different sizes depending on the ethnic group and region. Gongs are named differently according to their size, register, timbre and function: Mother Gong, Father Gong, Older Sister Gong, Younger Sister Gong; or high-pitch, medium-pitch and low-pitch.

According to researchers, the gongs of the Bana ethnic group are the most majestic, imposing, and romantic in character, while Giarai gongs are solid, echoing and for faster rhythms. The gong is an instrument with a philosophical and contemplative character. Closely associated with other art forms like singing and dancing, gongs can also be witty, cheerful and romantic. The tradition of gong playing is a unique and cherished part of Vietnamese culture.

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