(AG Provincial E-Portal) - As a province with a large population of ethnic minorities, An Giang holds a trove of distinctive cultural heritage, in which the culture of the Khmer and Cham communities is a precious resource that is consistently protected and developed.
A vibrant mosaic of Khmer and Cham culture
Following administrative consolidation, An Giang became the largest province in the Mekong Delta by area and population, home to many ethnic groups living together. Each group maintains rich customs, traditions, festivals, handicrafts, folk performing arts, cuisine, attire, and folk knowledge, contributing to a lively, multicolored cultural landscape. This also presents major potential for local tourism development.
After the Kinh majority, the Khmer and Cham communities account for a relatively large share of the population. Rooted in their distinctive cultures, the province is home to many unique tangible and intangible heritages such as: the Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) bull race; the knowledge and techniques of writing on palmyra leaves among the Khmer; the Di ke performing art (O Lam Commune); the life-cycle rituals of the Cham Islam community; the brocade-weaving craft of the Cham (Chau Phong Commune); and the Khmer craft of making palm sugar. In addition, there are tangible cultural relics ranked as national monuments, including the Mubarak Mosque (Chau Phong Commune), Xvayton Pagoda (Tri Ton District), Soc Xoai Pagoda (My Thuan Commune), and Thap Bon Su (Binh An Commune), as well as provincially ranked sites such as Snaydonkum Pagoda and Svay Ta Nap Pagoda (O Lam Commune)...
The diverse cultures of the Khmer and Cham have helped create a distinctive highlight for An Giang in the eyes of domestic and international friends. Mr. Le Thien Binh, a resident of Ho Chi Minh City, shared: “We work in tourism and have traveled to many parts of the country, but the festivals of the Khmer in An Giang left a deep impression on us, especially the Bay Nui bull race—a unique activity found nowhere else.”
After visiting the Cham brocade-weaving craft in An Giang, Mr. Mads—a tourist from Denmark—said: “I captured many beautiful images of the weavers and will bring these photos home to show friends and family, so they can see the skill in the hands of artisans in the Cham village.”
Multiple conservation measures
In the digital era, living conditions and the forces of integration pose many challenges to the preservation of Khmer and Cham cultures. Yet this is also an opportunity to promote and spread cultural values widely through digital platforms. In recent times, An Giang has formulated projects, plans, and appropriate solutions to preserve and enhance the cultural values of ethnic minority communities in modern life.
Every year, cultural, sports, and tourism festivals honoring the distinctive traditional identities of the Cham and Khmer are maintained and solemnly organized. These events kindle pride and educate younger generations of Khmer and Cham people about their responsibility to safeguard and promote their peoples’ traditional values. Cultural outreach activities are also being amplified via social networks and online platforms.
Efforts to preserve and promote cultural values are evident not only in provincial policies and plans but also in the dedication of the Khmer and Cham communities themselves. Mr. Haji Abul Alim—Director of An Giang Cham Village Trading and Tourism Company Limited—said: “We have built a tourist site to introduce the unique traditions of the Cham. When visitors come to the Cham village, they can experience our long-standing customs and practices; through this, we also have the opportunity to spread our culture more widely.”
To raise community awareness of the importance of cultural heritage, the Department of Culture and Sports has conducted inventories, collection, and documentation of outstanding cultural heritages of the Khmer and Cham. The inventory and collection work focuses on preserving fundamental, core contents that bear distinctive identities, while completing standardized information forms for each type of heritage to enable digitization and archiving for quick and accurate retrieval.
The cultural sector and localities also emphasize teaching intangible culture -languages and scripts, folk performing arts, social practices, traditional handicrafts, and folk knowledge - to younger generations of Khmer and Cham and to those engaged in preservation work. Traditional festivals are held annually, such as Sel Dolta, Ok Om Bok, Roya Haji, and Ramadan, alongside the revival of the Di ke art form and the life-cycle rituals of the Cham Islam community.
Notably, the province has developed a project - through 2030 - on preserving and promoting the national intangible cultural heritage “Knowledge and techniques of writing on palmyra leaves by the Khmer of An Giang Province.” The project’s goals include inventorying and classifying palmyra-leaf manuscripts; preserving and restoring damaged manuscripts; providing conservation guidance to pagodas that hold these collections; and documenting and digitizing this heritage. There are also plans to create derivative editions for heritage education and tourism development, and to translate representative manuscripts for research, outreach, and wider dissemination.
Preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Khmer and Cham not only safeguards ethnic identities but also opens opportunities for tourism development and fosters cultural exchange. This work warrants sustained attention, long-term investment, and broad dissemination within the community./.
Reported by My Linh
Translated by Kim Thuan
