Sacred ritual: Cham ethnic people from Ninh Thuan Province perform the traditional Po Riyak Sea God Worshipping Ceremony at Dong Mo Village, Ha Noi, during the weekend. — Photo mod.gov.vn

HA NOI (VNS) — More than 1,000 people gathered for an art show and performance on Saturday night at the Viet Nam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Dong Mo District.

Located 4km west of Ha Noi, the festival had an audience made up of 32 ethnic groups from Ha Noi and the central highland region, as well as members of the military force and youth union members, and members of the diplomatic corps and international agencies.

Entitled "Great Family of Viet Nam with the Cause of Building and Protecting The Fatherland", the show brought together dozens of noted artists who performed dances and sang songs praising family, the country, its people, the sea, islands and patriotism.

The event was held over the weekend, along with other activities at the village to celebrate Family Day on June 28.

Country leaders including Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and chairman of Viet Nam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan attended the show.

"The Vietnamese family has played a special role in the country's history", Nhan said at the show.

"Family has nurtured the Vietnamese people and Vietnamese culture. Together with the villages, regions and country, Family has brought happiness to each Vietnamese person and provided strength for the entire Vietnamese people," added Nhan.

"Fatherland contains the common sky, land, rivers, sea for all Vietnamese people, all families, all villages and regions. It [fatherland] is the cultural and political foundation for each ethnic group, each region; it is the free living space for all ethnic groups and families in Viet Nam.

"The interaction between four living spaces – family, village, region and Fatherland – has helped protect the family's happiness, the people's existence and development," said Nhan.

Nhan stressed that this year's annual Family Day revolved around the theme of the Family Meal, since during meals Vietnamese people do not only talk about homework, but also the villages' and nation's work. He encouraged all of the country's 54 ethnic groups to share their common culture values, including family values.

Earlier in the day, an exhibition, which included paintings and photographs of Viet Nam's seas and islands, was organised in the village, along with screenings of a documentary on the same theme.

Over the weekend, three traditional worship ceremonies were held at the village, including the Po Riyak Sea God Worshipping Ceremony of the Cham ethnic group in Ninh Thuan province and the Fish Worship ceremony for fishermen in the central city of Da Nang.

Additionally, the Le Khao Le The Linh Hoang Sa (Feast and Commemoration Festival for Hoang Sa Soldiers) was hosted by fishermen from Ly Son Island, central Quang Ngai Province, in tribute to the men making up the flotilla patrolling the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, as they work to tap the country's natural resources and defend the nation's sovereignty. — VNS