The event, scheduled to take place at Dai Doan Ket Square, Pleiku ward, is to draw the participation of gong and drum art troupes from across the country, and international art troupes from several Asian countries who will also join cultural exchange activities.

The festival forms part of a broader 2026–2030 plan to preserve and promote the Space of Gong Culture, positioning the heritage as both a strategic tourism product and a tool of cultural diplomacy.

It is not only an opportunity to honour the heritage value of the gong culture space but also a cultural diplomacy activity to introduce the images of the Central Highlands region to the world. The Space of Gong Culture of the Central Highlands was inscribed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In recent times, Gia Lai has maintained many activities to make gong become a distinctive cultural and tourism product. The gong music-enjoy and experience programme is held regularly every Saturday evening at Dai Doan Ket Square, Nguyen Tat Thanh Square, and several other locations in the province, creating a community cultural space and attracting a large number of locals and tourists.

Beyond the festival itself, authorities are implementing systemic measures, including a province-wide inventory and digital database of gong sets and artisans, the restoration of traditional rituals of Bahnar, Jrai and H’re communities, and expanded training programs in both local communities and ethnic boarding schools.

Gia Lai is also integrating digital applications such as virtual reality and QR codes into exhibition spaces at Pleiku Museum, while maintaining regular programmes like “Weekend Gong Performances” to embed the heritage into everyday cultural life rather than limiting it to annual festivities.

Gia Lai is to play host to National Tourism Year 2026, themed “Aspiration for the Blue Sea-Radiance of the Great Highlands”.

SEA Gong Festival 2025 to feature five regional countries

VOV.VN - Lam Dong province will host the Southeast Asia Gong Festival 2025 from December 18, 2025 to January 2, 2026, with the participation of gong performers from Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.