Hanoi cultural week features Cai Rang floating market
Culture of the Cai Rang Floating Market, the national intangible cultural heritage will be a highlight of the Vietnam Ethnic Groups' Unity–Vietnam Cultural Heritage Week in Hanoi from November 18-23.
Don Ca Tai Tu (Amateur Singing), which was recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, will also be another highlight of the event, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on October 17.
Nearly 200 ethnic minority people and artists of 13 groups, namely Tay, Dao, Mong, Muong, Thai, Kho Mu, Ta Oi, Co Tu, E De, Khmer, Cham, Kinh, Raglai of 13 localities and local tourism associations, tourism agencies will join the event.
A number of cultural exchanges among ethnic minority groups, workshops, seminars on building and developing the Tourism and Culture Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups will also take place during the festival.
The annual event aims to honour the cultural heritage of the ethnic minority groups of Vietnam and promote cultural, sports and tourism exchanges.
The activity also helps consolidate the national great unity and welcome the 87th anniversary of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (November 18), and the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23).
The Cai Rang Floating Market, formed over 100 years ago, has become a tourism brand of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. It is a prime example of the waterway market culture in the southwestern region, where people buy and sell goods on boats.
About 200 – 250 waterway vehicles engage in buying and selling activities at the market every day with agricultural products being main goods. About 2,000 tonnes of products are sold and bought at the market each day, generating over VND3 billion (US$132,000) in daily revenue.