(GLO)- The merger of the two provinces of Binh Dinh and Gia Lai (old) is an important milestone in the development journey of the Central Highlands-Coastal region. Along with the fields of politics, economics, society, etc., culture and art are also of great interest to the public.
Báo Gia Lai•02/07/2025
Gia Lai Newspaper quotes opinions of cultural management officials, people working in the cultural and artistic sector, artists, folk artisans..., about the potential for cultural and artistic development after the merger.
Visiting art works created through the Binh Dinh Literature and Arts Youth Creation Camp in 2024. Photo: KV
* RESEARCHER NGUYEN THANH QUANG:
Two heritage regions share the same historical flow
Although Binh Dinh and Gia Lai (old) belong to two different geographical regions, they have many similarities in their cultural heritage treasures when considered in the historical and cultural context of the Central Highlands. Gia Lai not only has the Roc Trung site - one of the early Paleolithic archaeological sites that shows the development of mankind 800 thousand years ago, but also has the sediments of Bau Can-Sa Huynh culture and Champa culture. Binh Dinh is a land where cultures from early to late converge: Pre-Sa Huynh, Sa Huynh, Dong Son, Champa... Those cultures of Binh Dinh and Gia Lai have left quite a strong mark in the flow of history.
The three factors of tradition, culture and residents will create harmony and cohesion in preserving and promoting the cultural heritage values of the two provinces of Binh Dinh and Gia Lai (old) when merging into Gia Lai province (new).
* MR. NGUYEN VAN TAN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR IN CHARGE OF QUANG TRUNG MUSEUM:
Deeply imbued with the love of Tay Son Ha Dao and Tay Son Thuong Dao
The two provinces of Binh Dinh and Gia Lai (old) have a deep relationship with a long history and culture between Tay Son Ha Dao and Tay Son Thuong Dao. These are two lands that were once closely associated with the famous Tay Son peasant uprising in history books. When Binh Dinh and Gia Lai merge into Gia Lai (new) province, it will further highlight that cultural-historical connection, bringing the spirit of "Tây Sơn speed" into a new development stream, with space for political , economic, cultural, and tourism development, promoting the heritage values of the Tay Son peasant movement closer to domestic and foreign tourists.
* WRITER LE HOAI LUONG:
More creative inspiration from new homeland
My first thought when I heard about the merger of Binh Dinh and Gia Lai provinces was: this merger is good, good in many ways, with the geographical strengths and resources of the two regions from economy to history, culture...
In terms of literature, when it becomes a new province, Gia Lai's future writers will have the mindset of children of a land rich in literary traditions such as: Van Cong Hung, Huong Dinh, Thu Loan, Pham Duc Long... Meanwhile, Binh Dinh is witnessing a new wave in literature, with the participation of many writers in their 30s such as: Truong Cong Tuong, Van Phi, Tran Quoc Toan, Tran Van Thien, Mau Don, My Tien... The formation of a new province, a new homeland promises to become a strong source of inspiration, arousing new creative desires from today's young writers.
* PAINTER, SCULPTOR LE TRONG NGHIA:
New opportunities for interregional art
The Binh Dinh Fine Arts Association currently has 30 members, most of whom are painters and sculptors who have established their personal styles. Some have had the opportunity to participate in national and international art competitions and have left a strong impression. This is a force that has gone through many creative stages, can share experiences, accompany and inspire the younger generation of artists.
Meanwhile, the Gia Lai Fine Arts Association (formerly) has 47 members, mainly young, enthusiastic painters who are increasingly asserting themselves, appearing regularly in regional exhibitions, many of whom have reached out to the national stage with works imbued with the Central Highlands' breath, strong in form, rich in emotion, both primitive and contemporary.
Believing that with timely support from management agencies and above all, openness and creative desire from the professionals themselves, Gia Lai fine arts will have the opportunity to enter a new stage of development, gradually becoming a positive example for inter-regional connection and development.
* POET, JOURNALIST VAN CONG HUNG:
Promoting difference in unity
Binh Dinh and Gia Lai are clearly two completely different cultural regions. One side is a plain (delta) with a civilization of rice and sea, the other side is a mountainous forest with a civilization of slash-and-burn cultivation. Two different civilizations create different cultures, but they are not separate because they have interacted.
In the past, the Cham people opened a road from Do Ban citadel (Binh Dinh) to the Central Highlands, all the way to Cambodia; conversely, the ethnic minorities in Gia Lai brought their products to Binh Dinh and Quang Nam to exchange gongs and create their own rich gong culture. Seeing the above clearly is an opportunity for us to promote the differences in the unity when the two provinces merged.
For example, an important part of culture (and economy) is tourism, when merging we can develop both sea and forest tourism, which is very good. But to do that we must preserve the identity of both sides. This is something that needs to be paid close attention to, we should not let them overwhelm each other. We need to distinguish which will dissolve, which will cancel each other out, which needs to be preserved… Once culture develops, it will lead to the general development of the socio-economy.
* MERITED ARTIST DANG CONG HUNG - VICE PRESIDENT IN CHARGE OF GIA LAI LITERATURE AND ARTS ASSOCIATION:
Connecting identities, towards the future
Gia Lai with its vast cultural space is where the sound of gongs echoes among the mountains and forests, carrying the sacred breath of the Central Highlands. Meanwhile, Binh Dinh is the "land of martial arts, sky of literature", where art is present in a vivid and multi-dimensional way from the massive and ancient cultural source through thousands of years of building and defending the country. The convergence of two cultural streams, one primitive and legendary, the other sharp and liberal, creates great opportunities to expand the scope of creativity and development. However, it is also necessary to clearly recognize that each land has its own system of values, ways of expression and characteristics; without deep understanding and openness, it is easy to lead to "parallel but not meeting".
We have the right to expect that from this land of convergence, a new face of literature and art will be formed: rich in identity, profound in content, creative in form and sustainable in value. It will be a cultural voice carrying the breath of the Central Highlands, the spirit of the martial land of Binh Dinh, a voice full of inner strength and humanity, contributing to enriching the national cultural identity in the era of integration and development.
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