On November 29, 2023, at the Cultural Center No. 3-2 in Nam Dinh City, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Nam Dinh Province, in collaboration with the Cultural Heritage Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Vietnam), organized a Conference on Heritage Practices to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003-2023); evaluating the effectiveness of implementing the Convention in relation to the worship practices of the Mother Goddess Tam Phu (the Three Realms) among the Vietnamese people. Attending the conference there were Mr. Pham Gia Túc, Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Secretary of the Nam Dinh Provincial Party Committee; Ms. Le Thi Thu Hien, Director of the Cultural Heritage Department; along with members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee; Standing members of the People’s Council and the People’s Committee of Nam Dinh Province; leaders of departments, agencies, and folk artists from 22 provinces and cities practicing the worship of the Mother Goddess Tam Phu (the Three Realms), including Ho Chi Minh City, Thua Thien - Hue, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, and Vinh Phuc.

According to a report from the Cultural Heritage Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) at the conference, many intangible cultural heritage assets have contributed positively, widening the cultural and spiritual life of the community and becoming tourist attractions for both domestic and international visitors, so that creating a unique identity, and imprint of the localities which own the heritages.
After Vietnam officially joined the Convention, the Vietnamese Institute for Musicology has taken on the role of leading the implementation of 5 out of the 15 files related to intangible cultural heritages, which were submitted to UNESCO for inscription on the Urgent Safeguarding List and the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The respective intangible cultural heritages are: Ca Tru Singing; Xoan Singing of Phu Tho; Southern Don Ca Tai Tu; Bai Choi of the Central Region of Vietnam; and Then practice of the Tay, Nung, and Thai ethnic groups. At this conference, the Vietnamese Institute for Musicology presented the paper “Ca Tru Singing - 14 Years in Review,” providing results associated to the activities of safeguarding and promoting the value of this intangible cultural heritage since its inscription by UNESCO.

NGUYEN THUY TIEN