The space of gong culture in the Vietnam Highlands encompasses five provinces: Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Lam Dong, and is an enduring traditional symbol of the CentralHighlands ethnic groups such as BaNa, Xê Đăng, Mnong, Ê Đê, etc. The space of gong culture in the Vietnam Highlands  includes the gongs themselves, the compositions played with gongs, the gong players, festivals utilizing gongs, and the venues for gong performances. 

GONGS

Gongs (Cồng or Kuồng) have knob, while Flat gongs (Chiêng or Chim/Cing) do not. They're made from an alloy of copper and can be mixed with precious metals like gold, silver, etc. Gongs have a long history and are believed to be descendants of stone instruments from the Stone Age. In the past, many believed that the ethnic groups in the Central Highlands didn't produce gongs and exchanged them with other groups. However, recent discoveries in Kon Tum have found evidence of gong-casting molds in the ancient Central Highlands territories. Whether they were self-produced or acquired from elsewhere, gongs always required craftsmen's modifications to become musical instruments. There are two methods of modification: hammering into fish scale shapes and creating wavy patterns.

PERFORMANCE

Gongs are played either by hand striking or hitting them with a mallet, depending on the ethnic group. Northern Central Highland ethnic groups like Gia Rai, Ba Na, and Xo Dang use mallets for both gongs and flat gongs. Southern ethnic groups like Mnong, Churu, and S'tieng use their fists to play gongs.

Most gong players in the Central Highlands are men, even among ethnic groups that maintain matriarchal systems. Among the Ede people, only women play gongs, while the Ma people have separate sets for men and women. Nowadays, there are ensembles where both male and female musicians perform together. Additionally, in many ethnic groups like Churu, Mnong, Giarai, women perform dances that are closely linked to gong performances and are not performed separately without gongs being played. 

The gongs are often performed in the spiritual ceremonies or festivals of the Central Highlands people. Each occasion features different playing styles and suitable melodies: for instance, harvest celebrations are marked by joyous and lively gongs sounds, while buffalo stabbing ceremonies sound urgent and grand, and funeral rites are slow-paced and mournful. Moreover, each ethnic group has its own characteristics in gongs performances; the Ede people have dynamic, complex rhythms at high speeds and intensity, whereas the Mnong have warm, slow-paced melodies.

The gongs are deeply intertwined with the lives of the Central Highlands people throughout their entire existence. From birth, they are awakened by the sound of the gongs, as they grow, these instruments accompany them into the forests, to the fields, celebrating their triumphs and sharing their sorrows. Until the end of life, the Central Highlands people are bid farewell by the sound of the gongs, returning them to their motherland. According to the beliefs of the Central Highlands people, each gong contains a deity, and the older the gong, the more powerful the deity within. The gong holds significant spiritual and material value within the households of the Central Highlands ethnic communities. The gongs holds immense spiritual value and are also highly valuable assets. A single gong can hold the value of a buffalo, and there are sets of gongs that hold the value of an entire estate. This is why The Gong Cultural Space in the Central Highlands was recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 25, 2005.

Gong performance