Mainly made from an alloy of copper, zinc and lead, gongs are unique musical instruments that are an integral part of certain ethnic minority cultures which is present in all the festivities and rituals of community life. The gong culture is a kind of art closely attached to the cultural history of the ethnic groups living in the Central highlands of Vietnam. Each ethnic group has its distinct way of beating gongs to create varying music.

  In 2005, the Space of Gong Culture in Vietnams Central Highlands was officially recognized as Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. Gong performances entertain tourists while promoting the unique folklore culture of the Central Highlands and enabling local people to raise their incomes. After the UNESCO recognition, the Central Highlands provinces built a project to preserve and promote the culture space of gong which covers several provinces and nearly seventeen minority ethnic groups.

Through the joined efforts of various gong troupes, culture researchers, culture managers and several concerned groups and agencies in the Central Highlands, hundreds of training courses on gong playing have been organized in ethnic minority villages. Under the same project, several gong clubs were also established. Several other approaches were undertaken as part of the gong preservation efforts including gong festivals held from communal to provincial levels. Traditional festivals of ethnic minority groups related to gong were also reinstated.

Earlier efforts were also acknowledged. Locals from Ede, M’nong, J’rai and Bru-Van Kieu ethnic communities have preserved around 2,300 sets of gongs. Up to present, 700 gong troupes are maintaining regular practice of playing the instrument. The most outstanding value of gong culture showcases masterpieces of human creativity. For the ethnic minorities, playing the instrument is associated with their cultural and spiritual life. Because of the intangible value of the gong cultural space, the importance of its preservation is very vital. The province plans to invest over 48.8 billion VND to preserve and promote the cultural space of gong.