Gongs – Echoes of Central Highlands forests & mountains

~ Trần Đình Hoành
Last update 16:08 | 12/06/2017

Generations of ethnic groups in the Central Highlands have used gongs to convey their innermost sentiments and communicate with their deities.


The Central Highlands gong culture spreads across 5 provinces – Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong. The musical instrument has been practiced by Ba Na, E De, Co Tu, M’Nong and Gia Rai ethnic groups.
The gong cultural space was recognised as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005.
M’Nong people in Jun hamlet, Lak district, Dak Lak province play gongs at a ceremony to pray for the health of their elephants.


A Xo Dang girl plays a gong.


Patriarch of Jun hamlet Y Tong Drang tests the sound of gongs.


Gia Rai people play gongs at a grave-leaving ceremony.


Folk artisans from the Central Highlands play gongs at the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Hanoi.


M’Nong children in Jun hamlet learn to play gongs.


The musical instrument has become a tourist attraction in the land of forests and mountains.


A gong performance

Foreign tourists dance to the sound of gongs performed by M’Nong artisans inside a traditional long house.

VNA

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I am an attorney in the Washington DC area, with a Doctor of Law in the US, attended the master program at the National School of Administration of Việt Nam, and graduated from Sài Gòn University Law School. I aso studied philosophy at the School of Letters in Sài Gòn. . I have worked as an anti-trust attorney for Federal Trade Commission and a litigator for a fortune-100 telecom company in Washington DC. I have taught law courses for legal professionals in Việt Nam and still counsel VN government agencies on legal matters. I have founded and managed businesses for me and my family, both law and non-law. I have published many articles on national newspapers and radio stations in Việt Nam. In 1989 I was one of the founding members of US-VN Trade Council, working to re-establish US-VN relationship. Since the early 90's, I have established and managed VNFORUM and VNBIZ forum on VN-related matters; these forums are the subject of a PhD thesis by Dr. Caroline Valverde at UC-Berkeley and her book Transnationalizing Viet Nam. I translate poetry and my translation of "A Request at Đồng Lộc Cemetery" is now engraved on a stone memorial at Đồng Lộc National Shrine in VN. I study and teach the Bible and Buddhism. In 2009 I founded and still manage dotchuoinon.com on positive thinking and two other blogs on Buddhism. In 2015 a group of friends and I founded website CVD - Conversations on Vietnam Development (cvdvn.net). I study the art of leadership with many friends who are religious, business and government leaders from many countries. I have written these books, published by Phu Nu Publishing House in Hanoi: "Positive Thinking to Change Your Life", in Vietnamese (TƯ DUY TÍCH CỰC Thay Đổi Cuộc Sống) (Oct. 2011) "10 Core Values for Success" (10 Giá trị cốt lõi của thành công) (Dec. 2013) "Live a Life Worth Living" (Sống Một Cuộc Đời Đáng Sống) (Oct. 2023) I practice Jiu Jitsu and Tai Chi for health, and play guitar as a hobby, usually accompanying my wife Trần Lê Túy Phượng, aka singer Linh Phượng.

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