Cultural programme «Cồng chiêng cuối tuần» (Weekend Gongs) for Vietnamese Women's Day

   A month of rain kept the central square of the highland town of Pleiku quiet on weekends, with no gongs sounding. On the evening of 20 October that changes for one night unlike the others: a troupe of Bahnar women artisans from Ya Ma commune performs to mark Vietnamese Women's Day, right in Đại Đoàn Kết Square.

   The «Cồng chiêng cuối tuần - Thưởng thức và Trải nghiệm» (Weekend Gongs - Enjoy and Experience) programme is run by the Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. After a pause caused by weeks of rain in August and September, it resumed on the evening of 19 September, with October's line-up rescheduled to bring troupes from these communes in turn:

• — Ia Phí
• — Kông Chro
• — Ia Ly
• — Ya Ma
• — Phú Thiện
• — Lơ Pang

   The 20 October evening falls on a Tuesday instead of the usual weekend slot — the shift is made specifically for the Bahnar women's troupe of Ya Ma commune, whose programme marks Vietnamese Women's Day. Every night in the series brings gong performances, traditional instruments, folk singing, and re-enacted fragments of traditional rites and festivals, alongside a food area with local specialities: cơm lam (bamboo-tube rice), grilled chicken, cassava-leaf dishes and rượu ghè (jar wine).

   It suits anyone already in Pleiku or around Biển Hồ lake who wants a dose of Central Highlands gong culture without travelling out to a village. The 20 October night is also a rare chance to see an all-women troupe, a line-up not often leading a gong stage.

   If you're in the highland town this Tuesday evening, two hours at Đại Đoàn Kết Square are enough for a show that won't repeat: the same series, on a day it never usually runs, honouring the Bahnar women who keep the gongs sounding.

   Have you ever heard gongs performed by an all-women troupe?