The event took place as part of the 2026 Gong Festival, Wild Sunflower, and Chu Dang Ya Volcano Week. The gathering brought together 10 artisan troupes from outside the province alongside 29 local troupes. Amid the festive atmosphere, the resonant sound of gongs combined with traditional dances created a vivid artistic portrait of the diverse ethnic cultural identity.
The program featured a series of performances vividly recreating the labor and cultural life of local ethnic communities through gong music and traditional dances, creating an evocative artistic space that highlighted the vitality of the Central Highlands gong heritage.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee, noted that the Gia Lai Gong Festival, held during the 2026 National Tourism Year, serves to honor heritage while expressing gratitude to generations of artisans and communities who have steadfastly preserved these valuable cultural assets.
He added that it also offers an opportunity to introduce a modern Gia Lai to domestic and international visitors—a region where the vast forests connect with the blue sea, and traditional cultural values align with aspirations for development and integration.
Gia Lai authorities expressed hope that as the festival concludes, the cultural values honored at the event will continue to be preserved and promoted. Communal stilt houses (nha rong) will remain gathering places for communities, the knowledge of gong performance will be passed down through generations, traditional xoang circle dances will endure, and the echoes of the gongs will remain an integral part of life and spirit in the Central Highlands.
On this occasion, the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee announced that the Prime Minister has officially recognized the early 20th-century Ko Do Gong Set, preserved at the Pleiku Museum in Gia Lai Province, as a National Treasure.
