Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung has signed a decision to include Quang noodles in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

Intangible heritage of the entire Quang noodle process

The Decision requires the Chairman of the People's Committee at all levels where there are intangible cultural heritages included in the list in Article 1 of this Decision, within the scope of their tasks and powers, to carry out state management in accordance with the provisions of the law on cultural heritage.

Speaking further with Tuoi Tre Online , Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong - Director of the Department of Culture - Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam, said that the folk knowledge of Quang noodles comes from researching, growing raw materials, producing raw products, then applying folk knowledge and passing it on to create Quang noodles, a typical cuisine of Quang Nam.

"From growing rice, producing rice, processing noodles, using water, choosing ingredients, spices... all are processes of passing down and passing on the profession and having folk and indigenous cultural elements in them to create a bowl of authentic Quang Nam noodles" - Mr. Hong explained.

The recognition of folk knowledge is broad, including culinary culture elements, not just food.

According to him, being included in the list affirms the cultural value of folk knowledge of the craft of making Quang noodles, thereby continuing to promote the work of preserving and promoting the value of Quang noodles culinary culture.

Contribute to honoring the value of Quang Nam's typical culinary products to attract tourists, develop tourism, create jobs for people, develop craft villages, and develop the economy.

Quang noodles - the essence of Quang people

As reported by Tuoi Tre Online , in August 2023, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province sent a dispatch to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requesting to include Quang noodle processing in the province in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

Quang Nam believes that from the second half of the 15th century until the Nguyen Lords' period, the vast land of the South with fertile soil, rich products but still sparsely populated became a "promised land" for residents of Thanh - Nghe - Tinh and the Northern Delta who were longing to create a new living space.

The previous generations, through hard work, reform, and adaptation to natural conditions on the new land, gradually shaped the identity and character of the people of Quang.

One of the clear and vivid manifestations of that character is the culinary characteristics, of which Quang noodles are a typical example. The Quang noodle making profession in the province converges the unique culinary values ​​of Quang region.

Quang noodles followed the footsteps of migrants on their journey to the open South, willing to accept any ingredients on the way to absorb, transform, and create diversity and richness in culinary flavors.

This is a dish with many variations, highlighting the characteristics of folk culinary culture, a rare dish that can "please" all types of guests. A rustic dish but contains the historical process of formation, the folk knowledge system of Quang Nam land.

It is known that Quang noodles are now available in most provinces and cities across the country and some countries such as the US, Japan, and Australia. That proves the strong vitality of this dish in the colorful flow of Vietnamese culinary culture.

Making and wearing Hue ao dai becomes national intangible cultural heritage

On August 12, Mr. Tran Huu Thuy Giang, Chief of Office of the People's Committee of Thua Thien Hue province, said that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has just decided to include the folk knowledge of sewing and wearing Hue ao dai in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province, said that it can be understood that this decision recognizes the knowledge of tailoring and the way of wearing traditional ao dai of artisans and people in Hue city as an intangible cultural heritage.

Explaining the recognition of this heritage only within the scope of Hue City and not the entire Thua Thien Hue province, Mr. Hai explained that this intangible intellectual heritage belongs to a community group, not to a nation or ethnicity.

When preparing the dossier, the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province initially planned to propose recognition of traditional ao dai tailoring heritage in the entire province.

However, after reviewing, the department determined that the traditional ao dai tailoring profession of the community and folk knowledge groups is mainly concentrated in 36 wards and communes of Hue City. Other localities also have traditional ao dai tailoring activities but very little.

In fact, this is knowledge about the profession, customs and how to use the traditional ao dai of Hue people.

"In the decision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there is no further specific explanation of the terms stated in the decision.

We will definitely have a process of clarifying information and promoting it so that people understand and thereby spread the word about this intangible cultural heritage," said Mr. Hai.