Gia Lai weekend Gong performances honor family traditions and Jrai cultural heritage

Winning a gold medal at the 2026 National Piano Talent Festival has marked a significant milestone for Nguyễn Ngọc Đan Thanh, a student at Hùng Vương High School for the Gifted, and strengthened her ambition to pursue a professional career in music.

Quy Nhon University's Youth Union and Vietnam Student Association on May 31 held the final round of the 2026 Student Singing Contest, attracting strong participation and support from students and youth union members across the university.

Children’s literature in Gia Lai is experiencing steady growth, marked by a growing community of writers, continuity across generations, diverse themes and the emergence of promising young authors.

Fishermen in Trung Luong fishing village in Gia Lai will hold the 2026 Whale Worship Festival from May 27 to 31, featuring traditional spiritual rituals, folk performances and cultural activities celebrating Vietnam’s coastal heritage.

Fishermen in Vĩnh Lợi coastal village in Gia Lai province on May 26 held the 2026 Whale Worship Festival at the Nam Hải Whale Shrine in Vĩnh Lợi lagoon, a major cultural and spiritual event for local fishing communities.

An Giang provincial museum and the Pleiku museum of Gia Lai on May 27 opened a joint exhibition titled “The Colors of Gia Lai and An Giang Cultures” at the An Giang Provincial Museum’s Facility 1 in Rach Gia Ward, An Giang Province.

The Gia Lai Provincial Association of Literature and Arts, in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Association, opened the “Giao Hoa 2” Fine Arts Exhibition 2026 on May 26 at the grounds of the Gia Lai Provincial Convention Center in Quy Nhon Ward, Gia Lai Province.

In the quiet village of Mrông Yố in Gia Lai province, artisan Rơ Châm Guk has dedicated decades to preserving and passing on the ancient gong culture of the Jrai people, earning recognition as one of the Central Highlands’ most respected cultural guardians.

Artists participating in the reality TV show “Say Hi Rực Rỡ” held a lively music exchange on Cù Lao Xanh island on the evening of May 21, attracting large crowds of local residents and tourists after three days of filming on the island.

Authorities in Gia Lai province are reassessing preparations for the Central Highlands Music and Arts Festival after organizers proposed postponing the event from late May to late June 2026 to allow more time for rehearsals, technical work and quality control.

The Gia Lai Provincial Association of Literature and Arts inaugurated the second phase of the “Land and People of Gia Lai” sculpture complex on Monday at the Hoi Phu Stream Urban Area in Hoi Phu Ward, expanding the province’s growing public art space with 11 additional works.

Authorities and ethnic minority communities in Gia Lai province have revived a series of traditional Bahnar and Jrai rituals since the beginning of 2026 in an effort to preserve cultural identity and promote community-based tourism.

The Quang Trung Museum on May 17 opened a special photo exhibition titled “Thượng đạo - Hạ đạo: The Heritage Journey of the Tây Sơn Era,” featuring 130 archival photographs highlighting the history and cultural legacy of the Tây Sơn movement.

A striking avenue of flamboyant trees in Gia Lai province has transformed a remote mountain road into a vivid crimson landscape, drawing attention for its cinematic beauty amid the forests and valleys of Vietnam’s Central Highlands.

The first Gia Lai Provincial Ethnic Culture Festival 2026, held at the end of April, was more than a cultural celebration. The event also reflected a new development approach by the province, treating heritage as a “living asset” linked to tourism and the creative economy.

A community-based cultural tourism initiative in Gia Lai is drawing growing interest from students and visitors alike, offering immersive experiences that showcase the traditional heritage of the Jrai ethnic community.

Young members of Vietnam’s Jrai and Bahnar ethnic groups are using social media to introduce their traditional culture, cuisine and village life to wider audiences through short videos produced in English.

The first Gia Lai Provincial Ethnic Cultural Festival 2026 attracted large crowds of domestic and international visitors, underscoring the growing appeal of cultural tourism in Vietnam’s Central Highlands while also highlighting the need for deeper cultural interpretation and visitor engagement.

Authorities in Gia Lai Province have unveiled 11 new sculptures along the embankment of Hội Phú Stream, bringing the total number of artworks in the “Land and people of Gia Lai” collection at the site to 25.

An art programme celebrating Vietnam’s Liberation Day and International Workers’ Day drew large crowds to Cho Nho Night Market in Pleiku Ward, Gia Lai Province, on April 30.

More than 200 students in Vietnam’s Central Highlands have taken part in hands-on cultural learning activities, as schools in Gia Lai province expand practical education beyond the classroom.

A unique fusion of martial arts and strategy took centre stage in Pleiku on April 26, as Gia Lai hosted a human chess match combined with a Tây Sơn martial arts performance during its first Provincial Ethnic Culture Festival in 2026.

Millions of Vietnamese continue to pay homage to the Hung Kings, regarded as the nation’s founding ancestors, through pilgrimages to the Hung Kings Temple complex on Nghia Linh Mountain, a site steeped in legend, history and spiritual significance.

Authorities in An Phu Ward in Gia Lai Province are promoting the preservation of Jrai cultural heritage as a cornerstone for developing community-based tourism and improving local livelihoods.