Sea village festival opens today

The Viet Nam Sea Village Festival opens today, Aug 1, in the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan with participation of troupes from the south-central coastal provinces.
The opening ceremony will be organised tomorrow night, Aug 2, and broadcast live on Viet Nam Television.
Dubbed "Ninh Thuan – A Destination for Vietnamese Sea Culture," the festival includes a wide range of activities such as a traditional cuisine show to introduce local folk foods, a photo exhibition honouring daily life and the socio-economic development of fishermen, as well as an art performance and sporting event to highlight traditional cultural characteristics of villages along the coast of Viet Nam.
The festival will involve more than 1,000 folk artists, actors and actresses from south central coastal cities and provinces, including Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Ba Ria-Vung Tau and HCM City.
The festival offers a chance for localities to promote cultural and marine tourism, raise public awareness of and appreciation for the country's sea and islands, said Phan Quoc Anh, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
"This is also an opportunity to respect folk games and traditional festivals of the local people," he said.
The festival is organised by the provincial People's Committee and will run until August 4.
With a long seaside and high mountains near the coast, Ninh Thuan Province is famous for destinations such as Vinh Hy Bay, Ninh Chu and Ca Na beaches and Nam Cuong Sand Dune.