On the occasion of the Ok Om Bok Festival 2025, a ceremony was held on November 1 to announce that the hat and mask-making craft of the Khmer people in Vinh Long Province has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.
The Khmer people’s traditional craft of making hats and masks originated over two centuries ago to serve the cultural and artistic needs of this ethnic group. In Vinh Long Province, this manual craft is practiced in Tra Vinh and Hoa Thuan wards, as well as in Song Loc, Chau Thanh, and Tra Cu communes.
Since Khmer people’s hats and masks have been made manually, artisans must possess knowledge of traditional arts, creativity, meticulousness, and dexterity to produce durable, attractive, and artistic products. Whether the time to make hats and masks is long or short depends on the complexity of such products.
According to danviet.vn, there are 19 national intangible cultural heritages in Vinh Long Province. Of these, the hat and mask-making craft is one of the six national intangible cultural heritages of the Khmer people in the province.
Soldiers help flood victims in Danang
Early this month, when floodwater in villages in Que Phuoc Commune, Danang City, receded, soldiers from Brigade 574 of the 5th Military Region managed to transport several tons of food and necessities to flood victims in these mountainous hamlets.
The soldiers managed to transport two tons of rice, 1.5 tons of dried foods, 200 liters of fish sauce, 200 liters of cooking oil, 100kg of salt, 30kg of monosodium glutamate, 50 square sticky rice cakes, 100 cartons of drinking water and 150 bags of instant noodles, cookies and milk by truck, by boat and on foot to cross flooded and eroded areas to local villagers in need.
Senior Colonel Hoang Nam Thanh, vice political officer of Brigade 574, told dantri.com.vn that soldiers are always present at places affected by storms or floods to help evacuate local people and move their assets to safe places, or to supply food and necessities to those in need. He added that when the flood was over, the soldiers continued helping people in flood-affected areas clean mud and trash out of their houses and streets. He added that when the flood was over, the soldiers continued helping people in flood-affected areas clean mud and trash out of their houses and streets.
National Assembly history learning contest
According to the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, over two million young people nationwide participated in the National Assembly history learning contest via livestream sessions.
According to the organizing board, as of November 1, over two million contestants had participated in the contest to learn about the 80 years of the first general election for the National Assembly of Vietnam via the “Thanh nien Viet Nam” app and the website thitructuyen.doanthanhnien.vn.
Ta Van Ha, vice head of the Social and Cultural Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, told tuoitre.vn that the contest jointly organized by the National Assembly’s Social and Cultural Affairs Committee, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee and the Office of the National Assembly is a meaningful political activity to help young people understand the close relation between the people and the National Assembly.
Meals for flood victims in Danang
On November 3, many places in Dai Loc Commune, Danang City, were inundated. A crane truck carried a big boat to the edge of the flooded area. Some 300 helpings from a van of the Tam Ky Pho Do Charitable Association (Tay Ninh Province) were loaded onto the boat to be delivered to people in flooded places.
Tran Trong Kha, a member of the charitable association, told tuoitre.vn that this was the second time that residents in Dai Loc’s An Loi Tay Hamlet received such portions on that day. He added that the charitable team had prepared to return to Tay Ninh the previous day, but they decided to stay and help people in need because of the flooding.
Earlier, the Tam Ky Pho Do Charitable Association crossed over 2,000km to the northern provinces of Thai Nguyen and Ha Giang to present necessities to local people affected by a recent storm. On the way back, they decided to stop in Danang to prepare meals for flood victims.
Every day, the team members bought ingredients and prepared 1,500-2,000 portions for local residents affected by the flood in Dai Loc Commune.
