Over 3 million tourists flock to Hue festival

More than 3 million visitors, including 28,596 foreigners from 92 countries and territories around the world, flocked to the 2010 Hue Festival, which was held from June 5-13, said a local official.
Vice Chairman of the Thua Thien-Hue People’s Committee Ngo Hoa said one of the most important successes of the 2010 Hue Festival was that it has brought festivities closer to the public and made them subjects of these festivities.
Hoa, who is also Head of the Organising Board, said major events such as the Huyen Thoai Song Huong (Legend of the Perfume river), Cuoc Thao Dien Thuy Binh Thoi Chua Nguyen (Naval manoeuvres under the reign of Lord Nguyen), Le Te Nam Giao (Nam Giao offering ritual), Dem Hoang Cung (Royal night) and Hanh Trinh Mo Coi (Reclamation journey) each attracted tens of thousands of viewers.
The Vietnam Record Book Centre recognised eight records set during the festival, including the one by “naval manoeuvres under the reign of Lord Nguyen” which drew the highest number of participants, more than 1,200 artists and 70 warships.
Hanh Trinh Mo Coi, which presented the nation’s attempts to reclaim the lands in the south from the 10th century to 1945, was performed on a largest-ever stage in the country.
Approximately 550 foreign and 2,300 domestic artists took part in 117 art performances of different kinds, ranging from music, drama, circus and fashion show.
French and Japanese performers were among the most prominent artists at the opening ceremony of the festival, which left a deep impression on the audience.
The French artists took part in five different kinds of events including exhibitions, installation art, street acts, music and drama.
French installation artist Denis Tricot had his piece on display in Dien Tho Palace, around Tinh Tam lake and the tomb of King Tu Duc. Les Traine-Savetes music programme brought a new face to this year’s festival with outdoor performances.
Meanwhile, Japanese dancers in colourful clothes, performed delightful traditional dances from the Okinawa region that portrayed paradise and praying for the good of humankind.
Mime artist Iimuro Naoki also amused the audience with his hilarious and alluring act, the most notable of which was “Escape”, where he acted out a meaningful story about life.
Australian performing artists wowed audiences at this year’s Hue Festival with music and physical theatre shows.
The festival's highlights from Down Under included performances by composer Darrin Verhagen, an experimental theatrical show titled Fire Moves Away by a group of young artists from Sydney and fire dancing and physical theatre from The Carnival of the Divine Imagination performing arts troupe.
Australian composer and musician Verhagen, who is a lecturer at the RMIT University in Melbourne, dazzled festival-goers with a show of electronic music that combines modern sounds with multi-media visuals, including video art, a genre that's still relatively new to Vietnam.
Several North American bands also excited numerous young music fans with their catchy tunes and new style of songs at the festival.
Apart from Little Wing, Angel, Manic Depressio, ‘Kimion William and Kimotion vs 2’ from the US surprised audiences when they played their latest number called ‘the story of Hue’.
An international trade fair was organised within the framework of the festival, showcasing products from 253 domestic and foreign companies. Up 10 16,000 people visited the fair which raked in revenues of 18.5 billion VND.