At a nighttime initiation rite among the Long-Tunic Dao in northern Vietnam, a horned figure emerges from the dark, stirring excitement rather than fear. The Ka dong mask embodies spiritual protection and values passed down through generations.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra has called for people-centred activities for the inaugural Vietnam Culture Day in 2026, underscoring culture’s role in driving fast and sustainable national development.

Ten years after UNESCO recognition, Vietnam's Mother Goddess worship is reaching new audiences through music and social media, while its custodians seek to preserve the traditions and meanings at its heart.

An international delegation toured the Vietnam National Village for Ethnic Culture and Tourism in Hanoi’s Doai Phuong commune on October 2.

Localities across Vietnam are preserving festivals and traditional arts, renewing cultural education and expanding creative spaces under Politburo Resolution 80-NQ/TW. These efforts are helping keep traditional culture relevant to contemporary life.

In the digital era, cyberspace has become an essential part of social life, helping create an open communication environment, foster creativity, connect communities, and spread knowledge.

Ho Quang Tien, a young member of Vietnam's Bru Van Kieu ethnic community, is using TikTok and Facebook to bring traditional music, customs and village life to a new generation.

Culture can generate significant economic growth only when it is organized as an ecosystem encompassing creativity, technology, businesses, intellectual property, finance, markets and international promotion.

For 26 years, 93-year-old Khmer man Mai Huyen has poured his time, savings and faith into a 20-meter tower in southern Vietnam, filling it with thousands of Buddhist statues, many made by his own hands.

Once feared as a dangerous predator, the tiger gradually became a guardian deity in Vietnamese folk beliefs. Its transformation reflects centuries of interaction between indigenous traditions and Taoism.

In Vietnam, a drum can summon a village, speak to the spirits or mark a child’s first day of school. Behind its beat lies a world of centuries-old craftsmanship, rituals and beliefs.

Culture is increasingly viewed not only as a value to be preserved but also as a resource to be harnessed for development.

Trumpets lead the wedding procession as a Red Dao bride, her face hidden beneath a red veil, crosses a basin after a ritual to ward off evil before joining her groom in 12 bows to their ancestors.

Xip Xi arrives when the fields finally grow quiet, giving White Thai families a moment to honor their ancestors, their buffaloes and a beloved story about children.

Gongbeats once again echoed through the mountains of Quang Tri as the Ta Oi gathered for Arieu Piing, one of their most sacred and culturally significant rituals.

Holding ancestral tablets close to their chests, families crossed a symbolic bridge at a Taoist temple in Ho Chi Minh City, praying for the spirits of departed loved ones to find peace and move on to another life.

Vietnam is changing how creators are rewarded, replacing a one-off payment mindset with royalties that can give artists a continuing stake in successful works.

A Taoist master raises his ritual staff and, one by one, breaks five miniature structures representing the five directions of hell - a centuries-old act of spiritual liberation preserved by Ho Chi Minh City’s Chinese community.

Traditional boats, musical instruments and theatrical costumes are among more than 800 exhibits offering a window into the rich culture of Vietnam’s Khmer community.