At the press conference on the festival.

A press conference was held in Xuan Huong - Da Lat Ward on November 23, to announce plans for the 2025 Southeast Asian Gong Festival.

In his opening remarks, Director of the Lam Dong Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated that the 2025 Southeast Asian Gong Festival is a major cultural and tourism event of the province. It is organised to mark the 20th anniversary of UNESCO’s recognition of the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, as well as the 20th anniversary of Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23, 2005 - 2025).

He emphasised that the festival aims to honour and promote the value of the Gong Culture Space of the Central Highlands, reaffirming the respect and responsibility in preserving and developing the cultural heritage of ethnic communities.

The festival also creates opportunities for international cultural exchange, strengthening understanding, cooperation, and connections among ethnic communities across Southeast Asia and the world; and showcasing the cultural beauty, music, people, and tourism of Lam Dong Province.

Themed “Resonance of Heritage - Connecting the Future”, the 2025 Southeast Asian Gong Festival will take place from December 18, 2025 to January 2, 2026 at central locations in Lam Dong Province and in several other localities.

During the festival, several records are expected to be set, including “the largest gong performance space combined with cultural and artistic displays” and “the musical work featuring the largest and most diverse gong performance” (the piece “We Are Lam Dong”).

A record of the largest gong performance space combined with cultural and artistic displays will be set during the festival.

A highlight of the festival will be the gala night themed “Harmony of Southeast Asian Gongs 2025”, scheduled for the evening of December 20. The event will fuse the gong culture space with contemporary music, creating a large-scale performance of regional significance.

According to the organisers, alongside 11 gong artisan teams from the Central Highlands and Phu Tho Province, the 2025 Southeast Asian Gong Festival will feature at least five gong artisan troupes from Southeast Asian countries including Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. Hundreds of artisans and performers will participate in the programme.

The festival will also include accompanying activities such as a brocade fashion show, the 2025 Global Coffee Heritage Festival, the first Lam Dong Gong Club Festival, cultural exchanges and gong performances by domestic and international troupes, an international symposium, cultural and tourism experience spaces, and many other community activities.