Can Tho selected for Vietnam Tourism Year 2008

Can Tho has been selected as the site for the ceremony of Vietnam Tourism Year in 2008, themed “Cuu Long with Gardens and Rivers – 2008.”

According to Dinh Viet Khanh, Director of Can Tho Tourism Department, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) decided to choose Can Tho for the ceremony to advertise the tourism in the Mekong River Delta area.

A proposal detailing the organisation of the event has been submitted to VNAT and the central government.

According to the proposal, during 2008 numerous traditional festivals will be held in Can Tho as well as other provinces in the area.

In addition, in 2008, Can Tho will organise a large ceremony to celebrate the 5th anniversary of becoming the city which is under the direct management of the central government. It is scheduled that construction of many important infrastructure projects will be completed such as Can Tho bridge and Can Tho airport.

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Can Tho to host National Tourism Year 2008

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) has decided to choose the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho to host the National Tourism Year 2008.

The National Tourism Year 2008, themed "Mekong River countryside", will feature special festivals from cities and provinces in the region.

The event will coincide with Can Tho's 5th anniversary of becoming a city under the central management.

Can Tho aims to welcome over 2 million visitors during the tourism year, earning a total revenue of VND600 billion ($37.5 million), said Dinh Viet Khanh, Director of the city's Department of Tourism.

The National Tourism Year 2006 is being hosted by central Quang Nam province with the theme of "Quang Nam - Two world heritage sites at one destination". The National Tourism Year 2007, themed "Back to the Capital of Mountain Winds - Viet Bac Revolutionary Base", will be organised in the northern province of Thai Nguyen.

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Yacht race brings business opportunities in wake

13 international yachts will arrive in Nha Trang Bay of Vietnam, which is one of the destinations for the yacht race to be organised from October 25 to November 11.

This is not simply a sports event. It will create opportunities for Vietnam’s tourism, trade and economy as this is the third time Nha Trang has been selected as a destination for the race, which will see the participation of many international business people.

Accordingly, the race will begin in Hong Kong on October 25 with 13 yachts of competitors who are members of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC). These 13 yachts will “perform” along the beach of Nha Trang. The award ceremony will be held in the southern coastal city of Vietnam.

With its attractions and beautiful beaches, recently, Vietnam has become a popular destination and transit place for many international yacht races. This has created chances for Vietnam to further develop its tourism industry in conjunction with promoting its beautiful beaches.

As reported by RHKYC, many of its members are business people. The reason they are participating in the race is not only for relaxation but also to look for information, seek opportunities to invest in the countries they will stop.

In order to prepare for the event, Saigontourist Company, the largest one in the industry, has planned to launch the tour “Nha Trang – the destination for yachts” from October 26 to November 6.

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Tet tour contest

Saigontourist has just launched a “tour designing contest” for 2007’s Lunar New Year, Tet, calling for submissions from Oct 25 to December 7.

The contest hopes to attract unique ideas for celebrating and observing the Lunar New Year 2007 focusing on all types of travelers: domestic and foreign.

All entries should include the title and a detailed explanation of the celebratory idea along with necessary photos of the destinations.

To compete in the contest, candidates can access the website: www.dulichthu-dong.com for more information.

Four prizes will be awarded with the first winner receiving a VND6 million travel voucher, and the successive prizes receiving similar vouchers for VND4, 2, and 0.5 million each.

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Celebrate Christmas and Join eventful festival in the highlands

Tea Culture Festival 2006, a tourism, culture and trade festival, will take place in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong.

Taking place from December 21- 24, the event will include activities such as an exhibition to promote tea culture, a Hip Hop festival, an orchard exhibition, a tea quality contest, and much more.

The Lam Dong Province government expects to organize the event like the colorful flower festival last year to promote the province’s image and tea industry.

On the occasion, Ben Thanh Tourist has launched a four-day and three-night tour to offer a chance for tourists to join in the festivities and visit famous tourist sites in the flower city of Dalat, which is viewed as the “tea basket” of the country.

The festival is also a special chance for tea lovers to see more than 200 unique tea preparing and drinking tools of the country, and other countries.

Tea lovers cannot miss the exhibition introducing tea culture in Ho Xuan Huong Park (2 Tran Quoc Toan). Organizers will make a space to enjoy tea, and introduce tea cultures of other regions in the country.

Visitors can see some tea shops on roadsides in villages of the north, explore tea culture of people in the central, learn about 80 years of tea development in Lam Dong Province, explore areas promoting and selling many kinds of tea, watch how to make a cup of tea, and participate in many other tea-related activities.

Up until now, the organization committee has invited 35 famous tea brands in the north to join the event. Around 20 Hip Hop bands are preparing to join this year-end festival as well.

The most attractive aspect of the tour is a chance to enjoy Christmas Day with many art and music shows, such as a dance show performed by 200 Hip Hop dancers, a show called “To light a candle for love,” perform by 2,000 people, about 1,000 couples offering a show called the Winter Dance, and 200 Santa Clauses, who will give special gifts to children that night.

As well as escorting tourists to the activities, the tour operators will also arrange trips to attractions such as the 60-meter-high Damb’ri waterfall, the summer palace of Vietnam’s last monarch Bao Dai, Suoi Vang (golden stream), Suoi Bac (silver stream) and Dankia Lake, as well as excursions to the campgrounds at the foot of Lang Biang Mountain.

The tour will start on December 22 in HCMC.

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HCMC annual Spring Flower Fair scheduled for February

The Spring Flower Fair will be held from Feb. 12 to 24 next year in Ho Chi Minh City to herald Lunar New Year (Tet).

The city administration said Thursday that many local artisans and traders, together with counterparts from other provinces and neighboring countries like China, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore would participate in the fair.

Besides showcasing, advertising and selling flowers, they will compare notes, exchanging know-how and techniques in farming and trading flowers.

As usual, the fair will be held at Tao Dan Cultural Park.

Last fair some 800 Vietnamese and foreign artisans displayed more than 4,000 items, including interesting items like cactus trees, a nearly 100-year-old carambola tree from the southern Vinh Long Province, apricot blossom trees of up to six meters height, and 100-year-old ornamental trees.

The fair attracts some 300,000 visitors every year.

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Major events to promote tourism next year

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism has said they are preparing to organise major events in 2007 as part of tourism promotional activities, including Visit Thai Nguyen Year, Da Lat Flower Festival, International Travel Exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City, Tourism Programme of “Reversion to the Origin” and Ninh Thuan Festival.

Visit Thai Nguyen Year 2007

The tourism campaign of Visit Thai Nguyen Year 2007 will be organised in the northern province of Thai Nguyen, which is endowed with good potentials for tourism development.

It will include many programmes and festivals related to historical milestones and revolutionary sites. The event is also hoped to encourage other sectors to develop together with tourism, boosting co-operation with neighbouring provinces.

The opening ceremony will take place on February 27 with an art programme rich in national identity and modernity. On the same day’s morning, an incense-offering ceremony will be held at the Uncle Ho Memorial House in Phu Dinh Commune, the Dinh Hoa district and a tour to landscapes of Dinh Hoa Safe Military Zone will open for delegates and tourists to the events.

In the whole year of 2007, many other cultural and tourism activities will be held, for example, the Thai Nguyen Song Festival, a Culture and Art Programme for ethnic minority groups of Viet Bac in August. On the 45th birthday of Thai Nguyen City, a tourism and trade fair will take place with a view to introducing economic potential of Thai Nguyen.

A seminar on tourism development will also be organised. During the year, Thai Nguyen is expected to attract about 750,000 tourists, including 25,000 foreigners.

Da Lat Flower Festival 2007

Following the success of the Da Lat Flower Festival 2005, Da Lat Flower Festival 2007 is expected to showcase the attractiveness and quintessence of different kinds of flowers, promote friendliness, love, peace and prosperity.

Flower-loving people will be granted fragrant opportunities to participate in many activities during the festival.

Tourism programme of “Reversion to the Origin” in 2007

The tourism programme of “Reversion to the Origin” in 2007 will be jointly organised by Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho provinces. It is expected to promote tourism potentials of the three neighbouring provinces, looking forward to developing trade and services, strengthening co-operation between the Lao Cai, Phu Tho, Yen Bai and other provinces.

The “Reversion to the Origin” programme in Lao Cai province includes an opening ceremony of the programme at the Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee square in March, the Thuong (Upper) Temple Festival in Lao Cai city in early March, the “Festival on the Cloud” in Sapa in April, the “Conquering Fancipan peak” competition in mid-April and the Vietnam-China International Trade Fair.

An official from Yen Bai province said the events in Yen Bai province would include the Dong Cuong Temple Festival in March, the Thac Ba Lake Discovery Festival in April, Muong Lo cultural week in October, and the Nam Cuong Temple Festival in March. The programme in Phu Tho province is expected to feature the Au Co Temple Festival in February, the Bach Hac Breastroke Festival on the Lo River, the Hung King Temple Festival in April, and an anniversary to celebrate the Lo River Victory in October.

Ninh Thuan Festival 2007

Ninh Thuan Festival 2007, which is hosted by the southern province of Ninh Thuan, will take place from May 31 to June 3 at the centre of Phan Rang town and several tourist resorts in the province.

With the theme of “Integration, Development and Friendly Ninh Thuan,” Ninh Thuan Festival will greatly promote sea tourism and Cham cultural identities. In addition, the festival is expected to generate business opportunities as well as draw the attention of foreign investors and enterprises.

Many supporting events and activities will be organised, including the Nghing Ong Festival and the Cau Ngu Festival, showcasing local specialties such as wine, seafood and farm produce. Besides, traditional craft villages such as Bau Truc pottery village and My Nghiep brocade weaving village will be introduced to visitors.

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Cultural festival to open in Phu Tho early 2007

A festival calling for a return to the ancestral land of Vietnamese people will open in Viet Tri city and the Den Hung (Hung Kinh Temple) historical site, Phu Tho province, on February 22, 2007 (the sixth day of the lunar year).

At a press conference in Ha Noi on Dec. 26, Nguyen Thi Kim Hai, Deputy Chairwoman of provincial People's Committee of Phu Tho, introduced cultural and sports activities to be organised during the festival. The opening ceremony of the festival will be live broadcast by Viet Nam Television (VTV).

The main festive activities will be held in Viet Tri city through the 10th day of the third month according to the lunar calendar. Meanwhile, King Hung's death anniversary and King Hung Temple festival will be organised from the 6th to 10th days of the third month according to the lunar calendar.

Other districts in Phu Tho, including Ha Hoa, Yen Lap, Tam Nong, Lam Thao, Cam Khe, Thanh Son, Thanh Thuy, Doan Hung and Phu Ninh, will also hold their own festivals with diverse activities, contests and traditional games.

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Culture and Tourism Week to be launched in Quang Nam

The People's Committee of Quang Nam Province has been preparing for the third Quang Nam Heritage Road Festival.

The festival is staged every two years with this year's theme being "Indochina Culture and Tourism Week." The festival will launch on June 27 at Hoi An ancient town and close June 30 at Cham Island.

A new feature of the festival this year is an association with Siem Reap Province (Cambodia), and Luangphabang City and Champasak Province (Laos), destinations with many famous world heritage sites, which will be of assistance in organizing cultural and tourism activities.

Moreover, Quang Nam has invited more than ten art troupes from all over the country to perform folk arts at the festival.

In this culture and tourism week, there will be activities such as international seminars on associations and promotions of the value of world heritages, fairs and exhibitions, as well as a gymnastics festival.

Source SGT

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Quang Nam - Heritage Itinerary 2007

The third Quang Nam - Heritage Itinerary 2007 festival with the theme “Quang Nam - Indochina Cultural Heritage Meeting” will take place from June 26-30, 2007.

The festival will see the participation of many art troupes from Cambodia’s Angkor, Seam Reap, Laos’ Wat Phou, Champasak, Luangphrabang, and many troupes from Vietnam’s Hanoi, the  northwestern region, the northeastern region, the coastal central region, the Central Highlands, the southeastern region, the southwestern region, and provinces and cities that host world cultural heritages in Vietnam.

The opening ceremony will be held at Hoi An ancient town in the evening on June 27, 2007 to introduce similarities in nature, cultural geography of the three countries of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, combinations and influences of Indochinese culture.

The festival will be kicked off by the Cultural - Art - Culinary Art exchange festival of Viet, Cham, Co tu people at the My Son relic site in Quang Nam Province. At the same time, the festival for sedge mat and silk weavers will be held at An Phuoc village, Duy Phuoc Commune and Dong Yen Village in Duy Trinh Commune of Duy Xuyen District.

During the festival, fashion shows of traditional costumes of ethnic groups in Vietnam, an exhibition of photos that won the Ho Chi Minh prize and the State prize in 1945-2005 period, and an exhibition of items and photos with the theme “The trait of community culture of Indochina ethnic groups” will be held.

The festival will include valuable cultural programmes such as shows of folk arts of Kinh, Cham, Co tu people, the Wat Phou - My Son - Angkor festival, Hoi An ancient town nigh - Luangphrabang ancient capital festival, Indochina - cultural harmony night.

At Cua Dai beach, there will be many activities such as boat racing, Quang Nam 2007 beach volleyball contest, Hoi An - Dien Ban - My Son cycling tournament and a kite contest.

The festival will closed by a performance named “Cu Lao Cham - a legend space”.

This festival is the largest tourism event of the year in Quang Nam Province.

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“Reversion to the Origin” tour to feature various activities

The “Reversion to the Origin” tourism programme, due to be jointly organised by Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho provinces next year, will feature a great variety of activities and new tours.

The “Reversion to the Origin 2007” programme was announced at a press conference held in Hanoi on September 26 by officials from these provinces and the National Administration of Tourism.

Officials said preparatory work for the programme was being made in a quick manner and tourism infrastructure had been improved. The three provinces have a favourable system of transport. Tourists can travel there by road, rail or river way.

However, the railway service from Hanoi to Lao Cai has been deteriorated and the number of trains cannot meet the demands of tourists at peak time, such as weekends or holidays, said Mr Nguyen Quang Duc, director of Lao Cai Trade and Tourism Department. Therefore, he said, more trains would be put into service to favour tourists in the coming time.

The “Reversion to the Origin” programme in Lao Cao province is expected to include an opening ceremony of the programme at the Lao Cai provincial People’s Committee square in March, Thuong (Upper) Temple Festival in Lao Cai city in early March, “Festival on the Cloud” in Sapa in April, “Conquering Fancipan peak” competition in mid-April and Vietnam-China International Trade Fair, said Mr Duc.

An official from Yen Bai province said the events in Yen Bai province would include Dong Cuong Temple Festival in March, Thac Ba Lake Discovery Festival in April, Muong Lo cultural week in October, and Nam Cuong Temple Festival in March.

The programme in Phu Tho province is expected to feature Au Co Temple Festival in February, Bach Hac Breaststroke Festival on the Lo River, Hung King Temple Festival in April, and an anniversary to celebrate Lo River Victory in October.

The “Reversion to the Origin 2007” is in response to the National Action Plan on Tourism for the 2006-2010 period and to promote tourism potential of Lao Cai, Yen Bai and Phu Tho provinces to develop tourism industry.

The programme is also aimed at developing trade and service and widening co-operation with other provinces and cities nationwide and the western region of China.

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Second annual European food festival to hit Hanoi

Following the success of the first annual European Food Festival, held in Hanoi to celebrate Europe Day last year, the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) is set to bring the event back for a second year.

The festival will take place in the garden of Hanoi’s History Museum (1 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem) from 4pm on Saturday, October 7, bringing together the capital’s leading hotels and restaurants for a gastronomic night to remember.

“The festival aims to offer a taste of Europe to the people of Hanoi, bringing together the Vietnamese and European communities for a night of food, drink and entertainment,” said EuroCham Hanoi Director Nicholas Greenfield.

“Modern Vietnam is becoming more and more international, and the evocative setting of the History Museum is the perfect place to reflect this cultural fusion, with the best in European food and drink served in a location steeped in local history.”

But while fine food and drink might be in the spotlight, there’s more on offer at the festival than just a taste of Europe. The event will feature live entertainment from the likes of the Generation flamenco band and the Apollo Children’s Orchestra, as well as break dancers, a hair/fashion show from Tran Hung Hair Creation, and an extra-special lucky draw, with prizes including hotel, resort, spa and restaurant vouchers, as well as an international return trip courtesy of Vietnam Airlines.

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Vietnam celebrates Tourism Day

The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) instructed tourist agencies Monday to provide special treatment for tourists on the World Tourism Organization’s Tourism Day.

Francesco Frangialli, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), has called upon international tourism agencies to celebrate Tourism Day September 27.

In an effort to boost tourism-awareness, this year the VNAT has decided that Vietnam should adhere to the "Tourism Enriches," theme chosen for this year's celebration of World Tourism Day.

The administration instructed localities and tourist agencies to undertake activities to publicize and raise awareness of the positive impacts tourism on life, culture and economy.

VNAT has instructed businesses to celebrate tourism day by providing tourists with preferential treatment, such as souvenirs, free admission into amusement parks. In addition, fairs and cultural tours should be undertaken.

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Tea culture festival to draw tourists to Da Lat

The Tea Culture Festival 2006 will take place in the flower city of Da Lat, the Central Highland province of Lam Dong from December 21-24.

The festival will feature several remarkable activities such as Da Lat Travel Expo 2006 with the participation of more than 250 domestic and foreign enterprises in over 350 stalls, Da Lat Tourism Promotion Exhibition, Christmas Day, performance parade, and Street Painting Show.

On this occasion, local travel agents will launch tours to learn about tea culture, such as “One Day with a Tea Village”, “A Visit to Di Linh and Bao Loc Tea-Gardens”.

Source Nhan Dan

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Tour guides contribute to Danang's tourism development

A tour guide get-together 2006 was held by the Danang Tourism Department.

More than 100 Danang's tour guides attended. The get-together was to call for tour guides' contribution to the city's tourism development. At the get-together, director of the Tourism Department Ngo Quang Vinh briefed the city's tourism situation over the past years, development orientations in the coming time and some new documents relating tour guides.

Director Vinh also talked about activities of the tour guides over the past years and hailed their great contribution to the Danang's tourism sector in general and publicity of the city's tourism image in particular. He warned some negative problems of some tour guides which affected prestige of the tourism sector.

In friendly and exciting atmosphere, tour guides contributed lots of valuable ideas to the Tourism Department. The ideas focused on strengths and weakness of the Danang's tourism sector and solutions to improve quality and lure tourists to Danang as well as contribution to the city's tourism development in the coming time. Lots of other confidential opinions on quality improvement and effective exploitation of tourism products, training and card issuance to drivers etc were also given.

In addition, tour guides suggested some problems, including health insurance, publications of standard voice-over books to new tour guides, professional libraries, courses for rare foreign languages and tour guide contests etc.

Director Vinh acknowledged these practical ideas of the tour guides and claimed telephone number of hot line and email address so that tour guides can directly report problems relating the city's tourism and their experiences. This will help the Danang's tourism sector more developing.

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2nd international yacht race to take place in Vietnam

The National Administration of Tourism has permitted the Saigontourist to organise the second Hong Kong – Nha Trang international yacht race.

The race is due to start in Hong Kong on October 28 and after that, racers will give performances at the Nha Trang Bay in Khanh Hoa province and come back to Hong Kong on November 4.

The Saigontourist will co-ordinate with the Royal Yacht Club of Hong Kong to organise the event.

From fifteen to 20 well-known yachts from Asia, Europe and Australia are expected to join the race, including a representative from Vietnam.

Thousands of foreign tourists are expected to arrive in Vietnam to support the race, said the Saigontourist.

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National Ca Tru Festival to open

The National Ca Tru (Ceremonial song) Festival will run in Hanoi from June 19-22 with the attendance of artists from 16 provinces and cities, according to the Ministry of Culture and Information.

The festival will highlight the unique characteristics of Ca Tru, a traditional singing genre in northern Vietnam. Participants will also seek measures to preserve and promote traditional features of Ca Tru.

Ca Tru originally appeared in northern Vietnam in the 11th century. It first served royal rituals and was sung at royal places, but later was passed down to the people and used in religious ceremonies, banquets, weddings and friendly meetings.

Ca Tru songs have beautiful tunes and words and are performed in a unique manner. The stage for Ca Tru artists is just a flower-patterned mat. Ca Tru has many melodies sung differently but the main is singing-reciting: a singer singing while beating a bamboo instrument with two wooden sticks (phach), a musician playing dan day, a long-necked lute instrument, and a member of the audience who expresses his appreciation by beating a drum (trong chau). The harmony of the human voice and the sounds of phach, dan day and trong chau combine to make Ca Tru a special art performance.

Ca Tru not only revives old music performances but also attracts many foreigners. A good number of foreign tourists visit. Ca Tru clubs to appreciate this art performance and many have conducted major studies on this original Vietnamese music.

Ca Tru is expected to be recognised a world oral and intangible heritage of humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cutural Organization (UNESCO).

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Festival featuring ethnic cultural values to open

The cultural values of Vietnam, especially of the Cham ethnic minority people, will be spotlighted at the first ethnic cultural festival of the central and southeast regions, scheduled for June 16-19 in the central coastal province of Phu Yen.

The festival will also celebrate the land and people of Phu Yen, as well as the solidarity of local ethnic minority people.

Apart from joining in culinary activities and traditional forms of recreation, visitors to the fiesta will be offered a chance to deepen their understanding of the 54 ethnic groups inhabiting Vietnam through an exhibition by the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology.

The festival, titled "Convergence of marine and mountainous culture", will see the participation of 13 provinces.

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Hue Festival 2006 to celebrate 700 years of cultural heritage in region

Hundreds of art perfor­mances and cultural activities will fill the Hue Festival 2006's sched­ule, expected to start on June 3, 2006 in the former impe­rial city of Hue.

According to Nguyen Xuan Hoa, Director of the Hue Festival Office and Thua Thien-Hue Province's Culture and Information De­partment, Hue Festi­val 2006 will occur at the same time as the 700th anniver­sary of the province's historical Thuan Hoa-Phu Xuan region.

The theme is "700 Years of Thuan Hoa-Phu Xuan-Thua Thien-Hue, Cultural Heri­tage with Integration and Development". The nine-day event will be filled with cultural programmes not only de­picting Vietnamese art forms, but also the beauty of foreign cultures.

Various warm-up activi­ties will begin in May, 2006 in­cluding the International Sculpture Camp, Viet Nam and European Union Cultural Days, an International Music Creative Camp and a Hue Poem Festival.

Opening ceremony will be held at Ngo Mon Square, facing the ancient imperial citadel, with stage perfor­mances representing the traditional arts of Hue and Vietnam, including mua cung dinh (royal ritual danc­ing) and nha nhac (royal music) - unique to Hue, UNESCO recognised this music as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage in 2003.

French artist Pierre Alain Hubert will close the evening with a special colourful fireworks display. During the festival, a multiform programme will take place at Dai Noi (Purple City), An Dinh Palace and neighbouring areas.

Dem Hoang Cung Hue (Hue' Imperial Night), a nightly programme recreat­ing the royal night life will not only show royal art forms but will also present royal cuisine and games.

Art ensembles from France, China, the UK, Rus­sia, Japan, South Korea, In­donesia, Thailand, Argen­tina and Australia will spot­light their cultural heritage during the festival. One show in particular is the per­formance dance Han Han va Con Mua II (Drought and The Rain), directed by Vietnamese-French Ea Sola.

The event will also show­case the Nam Giao proces­sion (restoring three main parts of the Nam Giao Festi­val), Truyen Lo Festival (doc­tor proclamation ceremony), where new doctors return to their native villages to thank their ancestors after achiev­ing academic honours and the Huong (Perfume) River Festival.

After its success in 2004, the ao dai (traditional long dress) show will take place in Hue's Trang Tien Bridge.

Tay Nguyen's gong fes­tival, which UNESCO re­cently recognised as a Mas­terpiece of Oral and Intan­gible Heritage, will be honoured during the Hue' Festival 2006 together with a replica of nha rong (com­munal house).

Visitors have the occa­sion to learn more about Hue's culture and cuisine while attending the Wed­ding Ceremony in Hue' in the Old Days and the Veg­etarian Food of Hue.

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Haiphong Tourism Festival 2006 to kick off at Do Son

The Haiphong Tourism Festival 2006 will kick off at Do Son beach town in the northern port city of Haiphong, 100km east of Hanoi, on April 21.

On the opening day of the festival, a tourism and trade fair will open with the participation of tourism agencies and 150 enterprises.

The festival aims to introduce and to promote the region's tourism potential as well as attract investment, according to Mr Tran Trung Dung, Director of the city's Tourism Department.

During the fair, a food festival will be also held to attract visitors who want to explore the local cuisine. Various kinds of handicraft products made by the city's traditional villages, including bamboo products, embroidered paintings, and wood statues will be presented at the fair.

During the festival, Haiphong's tourism agencies will launch two new tour packages, including a Haiphong-Kien Thuy-Do Son adventure tour and a field trip to the Tien Lang hot springs.

Together with the tour to Cat Ba Island, where the Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve is located, these two new tours are expected to become the province's key tourism routes.

The region's Do Son Buffalo Fight Festival will also be replicated during the tourism festival. The annual traditional buffalo fighting festival has attracted thousands of tourists over the years.

Traditionally, locals from the three villages of Do Son, Do Hai and Ngoc Xuyen participate in the activity and preparations usually begin six months beforehand. On the day, six fighting buffaloes are presented to the public after a worshipping ritual.

The Haiphong Tourism Festival will also include various sport competitions, as well as art and fashion performances. A beauty contest will take place, and the winner will compete at the Miss Vietnam competition in August.

With the aim of attracting more tourists to the region, flights connecting Cat Bi Airport in Haiphong City with Macau will be inaugurated during the festival.

On May Day, the opening ceremony of the Memorial Monument of the Ho Chi Minh Sea Route will be organised at the town. Do Son is one of the starting points of the Ho Chi Minh Sea Route, Vietnam's clandestine water route used to supply the southern battlefield during the American War.

A forum on the theme of "Haiphong's Tourism Development and Cooperation with Northern Key Economic Zones" will also be organised during the festival.

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Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange Festival to be held in Hoi An

The fourth annual Vietnam Japan Cultural Exchange Festival will be held in Hoi An Town, central Quang Nam Province, from August 5-7, 2006.

A memorandum of understanding to this effect has been signed between the Hoi An People's Committee and the Japanese side.

The Japanese co-organisers will bring to the festival cultural traditions such as tea ceremonies, calligraphy, Origami paper folding, Obondori dancing, Japanese food and traditional games.

An exhibition of a modern Japan and Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchanges, Japanese film screening, and a seminar on the preservation of Hoi An ancient quarters will also be held by the Japanese side.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese host will hold traditional cultural activities, namely bird and lantern releases, kite flying and pottery making.

The first Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange was held in Hoi An in 2003, marking the 30th anniversary of the founding of the two countries' diplomatic ties. The second and the third festivals took place in Hoi An in 2004 and 2005. 

Source vietnamtourism.com

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