Hue cultural festival ignites

A series of performances from home and abroad marked the opening of the nine-day Hue Festival themed Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development on Saturday night despite heavy rain.
The traditional performance at the opening of the nine-day Hue Festival themed Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development. This attracts 1,000 performers from 28 countries.
Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong and other senior Party and State officials were present at the ceremony.
"The festival brings profound features of an event of the community and international exchanges," said Nguyen Van Cao, chairman of Thua Thien-Hue Province People’s Committee.
This year’s festivities were organised not only in the city but in many towns and districts as well. Cao said: "Hue is the convergence of a variety of art programmes that recall majestic developments in the nation’s history and describe the cultural characteristics of its many regions."
"Visitors will also have a chance to enjoy performances with charming cultural nuances from 28 countries spanning all the five continents of the world," he added.
"The extent of the celebrations are proof that the local Party committee, authorities, and the province’s people are all making great efforts to develop the city as a hub of culture and tourism."
On Saturday night, hundreds of visitors also gathered under the rain on the front yard of Thai Hoa Palace to enjoy the Oriental Night Show.
The spectators stayed late into the night to admire the beauty of the ladies donning traditional and imperial costumes from Viet Nam and other regional countries.
"I’ve just been to Hue and have only known about the festival for a few days," said Anthony Scibelli, an Australian photographer. "I love the peaceful city and these kinds of ancient and traditional arts are of great interest to me."
On the opening night, visitors also witnessed an art installation of 1,000 Hue kites over the Truong Tien Bridge, an activity held to bring the message of peace and freedom.
Yesterday, June 6, spectators continued to enjoy many interesting performances including street music; modern, classic and folk dances; circus; and the Breath of Water, a spectacle with traditional art forms displayed over the water of Tinh Tam Lake.
According to festival organisers, over 500 journalists registered to attend the festival, including 22 from Reuters, France’s Perspectives, Japan’s NHK, Cuba’s Prensa Latina and the Australian press. Nearly 400 youth volunteers were also assisting in the organisation of the event.
Of the city’s 6,900 hotel rooms, 80 per cent were already occupied by Friday. Festival organiser Nguyen Duy Hien said city authorities were working hard to ensure stable room rates and prevent opportunistic profiteering around festival activities.
Provincial Public Security director Nguyen Thanh Toan said the entire public security forces of Thua Thien-Hue Province had been mobilised to keep order during the festival: "We have been working without a break these days," said a security staff at the opening ceremony.
The number of visitors at this year’s event was expected to rise by 20 per cent from 180,000 last year, said Ngo Hoa, head of the festival board.