The Khmer ethnic group currently has more than 1.3 million people, residing mainly in An Giang, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Tay Ninh, City. Ho Chi Minh and Vinh Long.
Through many generations, the Khmer people have created and preserved a rich cultural treasure with language, writing, festivals, folk performance art, handicrafts, architecture and cuisine imbued with identity, according to VNA.
According to Ms. Trinh Thi Thuy - Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Khmer culture makes an important contribution to creating the diversity and unity of Vietnamese culture. The Nam Tong Buddhist pagoda system, traditional festivals, folk art, language, writing and folk knowledge of the Khmer people are precious heritages that need to be continued to be preserved and promoted in the context of integration.
In Can Tho, where more than 543,000 Khmer people live, accounting for about 14.11% of the population, cultural preservation is particularly focused on. The city currently has 120 Khmer Southern Buddhist pagodas. This is not only a place for religious activities but also a space to preserve ancient documents, teach the language, writing, folk art and moral education for the younger generation.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tuan - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City - said that the city continues to improve mechanisms and policies to support the preservation of Khmer culture; increase resources for relic restoration, develop tourism in the Khmer ethnic region, and promote traditional education for young people.
Many localities maintain the activities of Khmer mass art troupes, Ngu Am music clubs, folk dance teaching classes, Du Ke and Ro Bam art classes, along with Khmer language and writing.
Traditional festivals such as Chol Chnam Thmay, Sene Dolta, Ooc Om Boc, Moon worshiping ceremony, Ngo boat racing or Dua Tpeng continue to be widely held.
Currently, many types of Khmer culture have been included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List such as Khmer Du Ke art in the South, Ro Bam, Ngu Am music, Ooc Om Boc festival, the profession of making flat rice flakes and Khmer folk dance art.
However, the preservation process still faces many difficulties when some types of culture are at risk of fading, the team of artisans is getting older, and teaching faces many obstacles.
Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hanh - Deputy Director of the Department of Ethnic Minority and Religious Affairs Propaganda under the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions - emphasized that in the context of integration and digital transformation, the requirement is not only to preserve but also to effectively manage the Khmer cultural - religious - social ecosystem in a modern, adaptable, and harmonious direction between tradition and development.
