Gia Lai artists win consolation prizes at 2025 national fine arts awards

A memorial ceremony marking the 223rd anniversary of the death of Admiral Bùi Thị Xuân was held on December 25 at her temple in Phú Xuân quarter, Tây Sơn commune, Gia Lai province, the Quang Trung Museum said.

“Bông trang đỏ” (Red ixora), published by the Writers’ Association Publishing House in 2025, is a collection of 13 of Nguyễn Đặng Thùy Trang’s most cherished short stories, selected from her works written since 2019. 

In Vietnam’s Central Highlands, Chăm H’roi artisans in Canh Thành village are working to safeguard their ancestral gong music by teaching younger generations, ensuring a cultural tradition once at risk continues to resonate in daily life.

Nearly 50 grassroots trade unions across Gia Lai province have joined a dance video contest aimed at celebrating Central Highlands culture and marking the first Gia Lai Provincial Trade Union Congress for the 2025–2030 term.

Gia Lai province secured two awards at the fifth “Living Beautifully” contest, themed The Miracle of Compassion, at a closing ceremony hosted by Thanh Niên Newspaper in Ho Chi Minh City.

Authorities in Ơp village, Pleiku ward, Gia Lai province, on Friday reenacted the traditional engagement ceremony of the Jrai ethnic group in an effort to preserve local cultural heritage while promoting community-based tourism.

Authorities in Gia Lai province are moving to grant provincial-level heritage status to the An Phu Champa Relic, a nearly 1,000-year-old Buddhist temple complex dating back to the 9th-10th centuries.

Gia Lai province aims to transform its cultural and sports assets into key drivers of sustainable economic growth, Provincial Vice Chairwoman  Nguyễn Thị Thanh Lịch said at a working session with affiliated public service units under the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism on December 16.

"Suối nguồn Pleiku" is a commemorative volume compiled by the Liaison Committee of Former Students of Pleiku High Schools before 1975, featuring moving essays about old friends and former schools. 

Nature remains a sacred force guiding the spiritual and practical lives of Central Highlands ethnic communities, where centuries-old beliefs continue to shape farming, forest use and seasonal rituals.

Young people in Vietnam’s Gia Lai province are turning to fashion and digital tools to preserve and promote the cultural heritage of the Central Highlands, as modern life accelerates and traditional values risk fading.

Ngơm Thung village in Ia Bang commune, home to the Jrai ethnic community, is earning growing recognition for its intricate bamboo and rattan basketry, thanks in large part to artisan Rinh, who at 40 is among the youngest cultural guardians of this craft.

Vietnam’s Cultural Heritage Association on Tuesday held the awards ceremony for the second “Vietnamese Cultural Heritage through Painting” contest, marking the 2025 edition of the national art initiative.

The 2025 national Tuồng (Vietnamese classical drama) and folk opera festival concluded in Hanoi with strong performances from the province’s traditional art troupes, reaffirming the province’s reputation as the cradle of bài chòi and hát bội.

Gia Lai province in Vietnam is taking active steps to safeguard its intangible cultural heritage through specialized training courses for local artisans.

The 2025 national Tuồng and folk opera festival wrapped up in Hanoi on November 26, awarding the silver medal to the tuồng (Vietnamese classical drama) production Nhìn lại một vương triều (Looking back at a dynasty) by the Đào Tấn tuồng troupe of the Gia Lai provincial traditional arts theatre.

Husband and wife culinary artists Phạm Lê Anh Vũ, 35, and Nguyễn Thanh Lệ, 31, from Quy Nhơn Tây Ward, have returned from a major cooking event in Ho Chi Minh City with pride after contributing to a national record.

You are truly special, with a fragility like morning dew, but inside, you're a knight, revealed a colleague who was also a classmate.

Gia Lai Province’s Appraisal Council on November 22 endorsed two artifact groups for submission to national authorities for recognition as national treasures, including the An Phu gold ritual collection and the Kơ Đơ gong set of the Jrai people.

Beneath the misty morning air and rolling slopes of the Gia Lai plateau, the deep green pine canopies of Pleiku have long stood as a defining symbol of the Central Highlands, evoking nostalgia and pride among locals and visitors alike.

The Pleiku Museum in Vietnam’s Gia Lai province on 15 November convened a seminar to assess and promote the artistic legacy of painter Xu Man, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth (1925–2025).

Gia Lai province on November 17 opened a week-long training program on intangible cultural heritage in Dien Hong Ward, bringing together 40 participants for four intensive classes taught by meritorious artisans.

Gia Lai Province opened a major photo exhibition titled “Gia Lai land and people-New colors” on November 17 at Dai Doan Ket Square in Pleiku, featuring more than 200 works celebrating the region’s culture, landscapes and development.

After three decades devoted to shapes, curves, and silent conversations with stone, wood, and iron, sculptor Lê Trọng Nghĩa has released an art essay collection entitled "Mắt nghĩ" ("The Thinking Eye").