Maritime festival to be held in Hai Phong

The Haiphong Tourism Festival 2011 will be held at Do Son Tourist Site from April 30 to May 2 with diverse activities to promote the city’s tourism and to move toward National Tourism Year 2013 in the northern port city.  Activities will include an open golf championship, a tennis championship, dragon boat racing, marching, bicycle racing and visiting tourist sites around Do Son Beach. The festival will be highlighted by the inauguration of a seven-hectare artificial wave pool which was designed with modern technology from Spain and China.

Sculpture camp begins in central province of Ninh Thuan

An international sculpture camp has begun in the central province of Ninh Thuan, gathering 36 artists from 12 countries with the goal of creating a sculpture garden in the province. Under the title of Ninh Thuan – A Destination for the Future, the event is timed to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the province's liberation day on April 16, 1975.   Addressing the opening ceremony, Vo Dai, deputy chairman of the provincial People's Committee, stressed that the camp was not only a chance for cultural and professional exchange among artists but would leave a remarkable memorial of the artists' careers through their work there. Dai hoped the sculptural garden, when completed, would be a unified artwork that impresses visitors.

Italy to showcase arts, culture

The Italian Embassy in Hanoi will launch a programme to promote the culture and lifestyle of the Mediterranean country in Vietnam. The programme will include 14 events during 2011 covering music, dance, architecture, literature and cinema. The programme aims at fostering a stronger connection between Italy and Vietnam, two countries that already share a strong tradition of friendship and sympathy, said Italian Ambassador in Vietnam Lorenzo Angeloni. The programme will open with a performance by pianist Ludovico Einaudi on April 24. Other concerts will feature soprano Paola Stafficci, pianist Stefano Ragni, clarinetist Gianluca Campagnolo, and jazz artist Francesco Cafiso. On September 8-9, the Oplas Dance Company from Perugia will participate in the Vietnam-Europe Contemporary Dance Festival. Three exhibitions will be held in May and October, with the first to run at the Vietnam Museum of Fine Arts on May 6-11.

Cham cultural events arranged to mark holidays

To celebrate the national holidays, the managing board of the Po Sha Nu Towers in Phan Thiet City will host Cham cultural performances to serve local and foreign tourists alike. From April 30 to May 3, there will be numerous booths displaying craft products of the Cham people including brocade, wools and ceramics. Visitors to the site can buy souvenirs and witness artisans in production. Visitors are made to feel at home as they can join in on many events and enjoy typical Cham cuisine and drinks. The musical and dance entertainment will see solo ethnic musical instrument performances, Apsara dance and Cham folk songs.

Many activities for sea festival in Nha Trang

Khanh Hoa Province authorities have approved a program for the Sea Festival scheduled for June 11 to 15 in the tourism city of Nha Trang, including cultural activities, art performances, sports, and tourism promotion.  On June 2, or a fortnight before the official festival, several activities will be held to welcome the main event, including a fishing tour at night, a sea tour at night, a martial art performance on the seaside, an art picture market, and calligraphy exhibition. There will also be a display of Champa culture, a photo exhibition, a fair for high-quality Vietnamese goods, and music concert and comedy shows. The main festival will feature a film week, Lu Cam porcelain exhibition, Champa pottery and brocade display, a street photo exhibition, fireworks displays, water-motorbike performance, a food court and a fashion show among others. According to the organizer, the topic on Truong Sa Archipelago will be highlighted during the festival.

Sea Festival in tribute to Truong Sa (Spratly) Islands

Many activities will be targeted towards Truong Sa Islands, including a photograph exhibition, a seminar on Truong Sa, art performances and using coffee beans to make a map of Truong Sa. These activities aim to promote sovereignty of Truong Sa Island and beauty of Khanh Hoa sea and island to domestic and international friends. Le Xuan Han, Vice Chairman of the Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee, has announced that the 2011 Sea Festival will be held from June 11 to 15. A lot of cultural, sports, and tourism activities will also take place during the festival.

Culture and Tourism Week scheduled next month in Quang Binh

A series of cultural and sporting events will greet tourists during Culture and Tourism Week 2011 beginning on June 5 in the central province of Quang Binh.  The week aims at promoting the province's many tourist attractions, including its numerous outstanding caves, as well as attracting investment to the province, Le Hung Phi, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism, told Viet Nam News. It will include the Cau Ngu (Fish Worshipping) Festival to pray for a good fishing season and safe seafaring, a volleyball tournament from May 26 to June 4, and the dedication of Bao Ninh – The Sea Square. The main events will be held from May 27 in the city of Dong Hoi, as well as at the UNESCO-recognised World Natural Heritage Site of Phong Nha-Ke Bang, which includes the Phong Nha and Thien Duong caves.

Giong Festival at Phu Dong Temple

The Giong Festival of Phu Dong and Soc temples which has officially been recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity by the UNESCO since November 2010, is held annually from the seventh to the ninth days of the fourth lunar month in order to commemorate the mythical hero Saint Giong at Phu Dong temple in Gia Lam District (his birth place) and from the sixth to the eighth days of the first lunar month at Soc Temple in Soc Son District (his ascending place to heaven). 

Phu Dong Temple

This year, the Giong Festival at Phu Dong Temple was held solemnly with a large-scale from 9 to 11 May 2011 in Phu Dong Commune, Gia Lam District, Hanoi with many traditional rituals and special symbolic performances. Besides the water procession and the ritual dedicated to the Saint at the temple, the flag processions and re-enactments of the Saint’s feats against foreign invaders were the highlight of the festival.