On the evening of June 26, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan attended the opening ceremony of the sixth Cham Ethnic Culture Festival 2026 at 16 Thang 4 Square in Dong Hai Ward, Khanh Hoa Province. The festival is held under the theme: "Preserving and promoting Cham cultural identity in a new era."

Also attending the opening ceremony were Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy, who serves as head of the festival's steering committee; Deputy Minister of Ethnic and Religious Affairs Y Thong; and representatives of central ministries and agencies.

Representing Khanh Hoa Province were Nguyen Viet Hung, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, along with leaders of provincial departments and agencies. Thousands of local residents and visitors from across the country also gathered at the square to attend the opening ceremony.

Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan said Vietnam is home to 54 ethnic groups united as one nation, with the Cham community making significant contributions to the country's cultural heritage through its long history and distinctive cultural traditions.

She described Cham culture as a remarkable cultural treasure, encompassing religious architecture, nationally significant heritage sites and a rich collection of intangible cultural heritage, including festivals, traditional music and crafts such as Bau Truc pottery and brocade weaving. The diversity of Cham beliefs and settlement patterns has created a unique cultural identity that reflects both the richness and inclusiveness of Vietnamese culture.

The Vice President assigned Khanh Hoa Province the responsibility of strengthening its role as a center for preserving, researching and promoting Cham culture while ensuring harmony between heritage conservation and sustainable development. She stressed that authorities at all levels should accelerate digital transformation, develop cultural industries and expand community-based tourism linked to sustainable livelihoods so that Cham cultural values become an internal driving force for socio-economic development.

She also emphasized that national unity remains a strategic policy of the Party and said caring for ethnic minority communities, including the Cham people, is not only a political responsibility but also a profound humanitarian commitment. She called on authorities to focus on empowering local communities to safeguard cultural heritage, modernizing conservation through science and technology, and connecting culture with economic development so that heritage becomes a catalyst for growth.

The Vice President expressed confidence that, with continued support from the Party, the State and the unity of the Cham community, Cham cultural values will continue to flourish and contribute to Vietnam's development and national safeguarding in the new era.

Turning Cham culture into a driver of sustainable development

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Nguyen Viet Hung, Chairman of the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, said the sixth Cham Ethnic Culture Festival not only honors the cultural identity of the Cham people but also puts into practice the Party's vision of making culture an internal resource and a driving force for sustainable development.

Khanh Hoa is home to more than 95,000 Cham people, accounting for more than half of Vietnam's total Cham population. The province therefore considers preserving and promoting Cham cultural heritage a key priority in its cultural, tourism and socio-economic development strategy.

According to Hung, the festival provides an opportunity to showcase the peaceful and welcoming people of Khanh Hoa while introducing outstanding Cham heritage values, including the UNESCO-recognized Cham pottery-making tradition, the Po Nagar Tower complex, Po Klong Garai Towers, Hoa Lai Towers and national treasures associated with Cham culture.

He said the event also creates new opportunities to strengthen cultural tourism links among localities with significant Cham populations, develop distinctive tourism products and enhance Vietnam's tourism profile in international integration.

In the years ahead, Khanh Hoa Province will continue preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, accelerate the digitalization of cultural heritage, and integrate heritage conservation with economic development, tourism and improvements to people's livelihoods.

The province also aims to ensure that culture becomes a genuine source of internal strength and a sustainable driver of development in the new stage.

The sixth Cham Ethnic Culture Festival in Khanh Hoa Province is jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee. The festival takes place from June 26 to 28 and brings together delegations from seven provinces and cities: Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, Tay Ninh, An Giang, Dak Lak and Ho Chi Minh City.

The festival celebrates the traditional cultural and sporting values of the Cham community while providing a platform for cultural exchange and strengthening solidarity among localities where Cham communities live.