The first ever national ethnic costume show displaying more than 200 costumes from Vietnam’s 54 ethnic minorities was held last night at the Cultural and Tourism Village of Vietnam’s Ethnic Minorities in Dong Mo, Hanoi, The Thao Van Hoa reported Tuesday.
Held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event aimed to keep track of the traditional costumes of the 54 ethnic minorities in Vietnam and promote the preservation of these cultural heritages, some of which have come under serious threat from urbanization and modernization.
A member of the organizing committee said ethnic groups with a population under 1,000 such as the Ma, Ruc, Cong, Pa Then and Sila minorities who live within a larger community of a different ethnicity are most vulnerable to losing their own costumes.
235 young men and women from 54 ethnic groups took their audience through an impressive parade of their traditional costumes, from their daily dresses to more special ones reserved for important occasions such as weddings and festivals, complete with their traditional accessories such as necklaces, bracelets and ear rings.
Song composer An Thuyen, one of the organizers said he felt lucky to be able to see all of these traditional costumes and was amazed at and proud of the diversity and colorfulness of Vietnam’s culture.
A ministry’s official said they planned to organize this event every two to three years.
