VINH LONG (VNS)— Sixteen music groups from HCM City and several southern provinces are taking part in the 2012 Tai Tu Music Festival which opened today in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long.

The annual festival is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in co-operation with the Viet Nam Stage Artists Association and Vinh Long Province. Prizes will be handed to the winners on November 21.

Tai tu, a traditional southern music genre, blending local forms of folk music. It has long been seen as part of the Mekong Delta's cultural identity.

Tai tu is often associated with farmers and workers who sing traditional songs while working in the fields and relaxing at the end of a hard day.

Cultural agencies, including the culture ministry, are working to secure UNESCO recognition for tai tu music as an intangible world cultural heritage.-VNS