Hồ Thanh Phong turns self-taught sculpture skills into professional craft

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

More than 1,070 respected community figures across a Vietnamese province are playing a key role in improving infrastructure, preventing outdated customs, and preserving ethnic cultural heritage, according to local authorities.

Pleiku is experiencing its most beautiful days of the year. The days unfold gently beneath blue skies and fresh breezes. The persistent winds sweep across the highland hills and mountains, filling my heart with boundless nostalgia and affection.

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").

The Đào Tấn Tuồng troupe, under the Gia Lai provincial Traditional Arts Theatre, held its final dress rehearsal of the tuồng opera Khát vọng non sông (Aspirations of the homeland) on November 4, attracting a large audience of tuồng enthusiasts and artists.

With the theme “The Echo of the Central Highlands Gongs - Southeast Asia Convergence,” the programme will feature 12 art troupes from Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, Lâm Đồng, several northern provinces as well as art troupes from Thailand, Laos and Malaysia.

In the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, music classes, from piano and guitar to traditional Vietnamese instruments like the đàn tranh and đàn t’rưng, are enriching children’s lives and preserving the region’s cultural roots.

Gia Lai Broadcasting and Newspaper will livestream the final of the “Miss Asia Businesswoman 2025” pageant at 7:00 p.m. on October 31 from the Gia Lai Provincial Convention Center in Quy Nhon Ward.

Pleiku High School in Gia Lai province has been recognized by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as the “school with the most participants” in the 2025 reading culture ambassador contest, after attracting 2,133 students to take part, the highest number nationwide.

More than 200 new literary and artistic works were showcased as the 2025 literary and artistic creation camp in Gia Lai Province concluded after seven days of intensive creative activities.

Businesswoman Ban Thi Thu from Hanoi was crowned “Miss Asia Businesswoman 2025” at the grand finale held at the Gia Lai provincial Convention Center in Quy Nhon Ward.

Two young individuals from Gia Lai Province, Bùi Ngọc Thanh and Lu-Y Djoan, were among ten outstanding ethnic minority youths honored by the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union for their creativity, boldness, and community impact.

The Pleiku Museum is preparing documentation to propose two sets of artifacts, the Kơ Đơ gong ensemble and a collection of gold objects from the An Phú Cham archaeological site, for recognition as national treasures. The initiative aims to promote the province’s distinctive cultural heritage.

A growing series of art exchange programs between local schools and the provincial Traditional Arts Theater is inspiring students across Gia Lai Province to appreciate and preserve Vietnam’s cultural heritage.

The water drop worship ceremony of the Ba Na ethnic people in Gia Lai province is held to pray to the Water God (Yang Ia) for abundant water resources to serve daily life, farming and production.

The Gia Lai provincial traditional art theater is reviving Vietnam’s past through hát bội (classical opera) and bài chòi performances, using historical themes to inspire patriotism and preserve traditional culture.

The new era that Vietnam’s Party seeks to lead the nation into can be described simply as one of universal happiness—an era where, as President Ho Chi Minh envisioned, “our people are completely free, everyone has enough food and clothing, and everyone has access to education.”

More than 400 students from three secondary schools in Quy Nhon, Le Hong Phong, Dong Da, and Nguyen Hue, recently joined a traditional arts experience program at the Gia Lai Provincial Traditional Arts Theatre, part of an ongoing effort to preserve and promote Vietnam’s cultural heritage.

The Gia Lai Provincial Association of Literature and Arts, in partnership with the Pleiku Museum, has opened a national exhibition spotlighting female painters from northern, central, and southern Vietnam.