City tourism festival to counter economic crisis

The 8th annual HCM City Tourism Day Festival to be held this month will seek to promote the local travel industry amid a global economic slump.  The event, scheduled to be held at the 23/9 Park in District 1, will be hosted by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the HCM City Tourism Association. La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the department, told a recent conference that the main purpose of the festival is to stimulate domestic tourism demand. It sought to do that by acting as a bridge between travel companies and customers, he added. The highlight of this year's event will be the Sac Mau Le Hoi Vietnam (Colours of Vietnamese Festivals) and a fete to honour city tourism brands.

2012 Ha Long tourism week to be held

The 2012 Ha Long – Quang Ninh Tourism Week will be held from April 22 to May 2, announced Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee on April 3. The Tourism Week will cover a wide array of cultural, tourism, and sporting activities, including art perfomances and a food festival, as well as Tuan Chau International women’s beach volleyball, national beach sepak takraw and national dance championships. All of activities will combine traditional and modern styles. Two exhibitions are also scheduled to be held during the week – the first a photography exhibition and the second to showcase relics and antiques related to Ha Long Bay.

Ben Tre ready for 2012 Coconut Festival

The 2012 Coconut Festival themed “Ben Tre on the road to integration and development” will take place in the Mekong Delta province between April 5 and 10, reported the organisers at a press conference on April 2.  This year’s festival will put on several attractive events including an exhibition of coconut products, a trade fair highlighting the high quality of Vietnamese goods, a street carnival celebrating the future of coconuts, a seminar on how to increase the value of coconut products and a ceremony to honour coconut farmers. It will give coconut farmers an opportunity to meet and exchange their experiences on scientific techniques and different ways of cultivation.

Ben Tre Coconut Festival opens

The 2012 Coconut Festival themed “Ben Tre on the road to integration and development” is taking place in the Mekong Delta province from April 5 to 10. The festival not only showcases hundreds of coconut products skillfully made by local farmers but also features the unique beauty of Ben Tre province. Other activities include a trade fair, a street carnival, , a seminar on how to increase the value of coconut products and a ceremony to honour coconut farmers, a tour of coconut gardens, Miss Ben Tre Contest and art performances.

Activities mark Hung Kings Temple Festival

The Hung Kings Temple Festival is taking place in the northern province of Phu Tho from March 26-31 (March 5-10 according to the Lunar Calendar).  An incense offering ceremony to the nation’s legendary father and mother, Lac Long Quan and Au Co, was held by the festival’s organizing board on March 27. Earlier, on March 26, the Viet Tri City’s Party Committee, People’s Council and People’s Committee paid tribute to the Kings at the Kinh Thien Palace in Nghia Linh Mountain. There will be palanquin processions from six surrounding hamlets to the Hung Kings Temple historical complex with the participation of diplomatic delegations and representatives from UNESCO Vietnam and the Vietnam Federation of UNESCO Associations.

Xoan singing and Phu Tho folklore festival opens

The Organizing Board of Hung Kings death anniversary and Hung temple festival 2012 have opened the Xoan singing and Phu Tho folklore festival.  The festival drew the participation of 12 Xoan singing clubs and 14 artistic groups from 13 districts, towns and cities in the northern midland province of Phu Tho. The event aims to honour and popularize Xoan singing which has been recognized as a world intangible heritage needing urgent protection. Over the past time, more and more Xoan singing clubs in the province have been established. Xoan singing is also being taught at schools. The province has passed policies to encourage Xoan singers, and provided training courses on this art to teachers in districts, cities and towns.

Int’l exhibition held during Hung Temple Festival

The sixth international photography exhibition opened in the northern midland city of Viet Tri on March 26 as part of the 2012 Hung Temple Festival. The exhibition is jointly organized by the Vietnamese Association of Photographic Artists (VAPA) and the Phu Tho provincial Literature and Arts Association. On display were 542 photos taken by 354 artists from 38 countries and territories around the world. They were selected from more than 10,600 entries by 1,602 photographers from 55 different nations.