Plants and food on menu at Hue craft affair

Hue Traditional Craft Festival 2011 themed “Vietnamese kitchen in Hue ornamental garden,” to promote Vietnamese culture will be held from April 30 to May 3.
The festival will take place in the three venues of Ngo Mon Square, Dai Noi Imperial Citadel and Huong Riverside in Hue City and is split into the two parts of traditional food and ornamental plants.
Three presentations on ornamental plants titled “Arts ornamental plants and feelings,” “Hue – a green space,” and “Meditation and ornamental plants” start from 5 p.m. on April 29 at Dai Noi Imperial Citadel, Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street and Phu Van Lau Park. There will also be a food show reflecting the three regions’ specialties, North, South and Central, to be hosted on Huong River.
Traditional music takes the form of don ca tai tu (southern amateur music), Khmer dance and folk music or dan ca Nam Bo (Southern opera singing).
The “Northern food and recipes” pavilion will be a visitor magnet with its offerings of Hanoi specialties, folk games and performances of ca tru (royal singing) and hat xam (traditional singing of the North performed by blind artists).
The “Hue vegetarian food” section will introduce royal dishes, Hue sweet soups, Hue rice and cakes together with 100 recipes that teach people how to cook Hue dishes.
There will also be a floating food fair on Huong River in the evening during the festival, and an ornamental tree festival at the Ngo Mon Square, Phu Van Lau Park and Nguyen Dinh Chieu walking street.
An exhibition of ancient cooking utensils will be organized at the Lieu Quan Cultural Center, 13 Le Loi Street on April 29.
The festival will also include a cooking contest for children, a photo exhibition and an environment walk. During five days of the festival, there will be short courses to teach people how to make Hue dishes.
Kite flying is on April 30 from 1.30pm to 5pm, human chess from 4-6 p.m. on May 1 and 2, a boat race on May 3 and a lion dance show at 5pm from April 30 to May 3.
Members of the Vietnam
Ornamental Tree Association and ornamental tree clubs of cities and provinces nationwide including Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, Hai Duong, Phu Tho, Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, Quang Ngai, Danang, Binh Duong, Ben Tre, HCMC and Thua Thien-Hue will join the show.
The opening ceremony will take place at 8 pm on April 30 and the closing ceremony will be held at 8 pm on May 3 at Ngo Mon Square and will be broadcasted live on TV.
Hue Traditional Craft Festival is organized every two years during the peak tourist season to attract local and foreign visitors.