Hue Festival 2012, titled Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development – A Rendezvous for Historical Cities will open on April 7 next year at the Ngo Mon (Noon Gate) Square in Hue City, organisers announced at a press briefing on Thursday.
The organising board said the festival would be a major cultural event of the National Tourism Year 2012, and a part of activities to commemorate the 325th anniversary of Phu Xuan (Hue) being chosen as capital of the southern region of Viet Nam by Nguyen Phuc Thai.

"It would also be a platform for the cultural exchange initiative of the Forum of East Asia and Latin America Co-operation," said Nguyen Duy Hien, director of the Hue Festival Centre.

The festival would showcase distinctive art performances from all parts of the country, especially the royal art forms from the city of Hue, Hien said.

Twenty leading art troupes from many countries would also perform at the event.

Other key events that would take place during the nine-day festival include the Imperial Night, Oriental Night, Nam Giao Offering Ritual, Ao dai Grand Show, royal dances on the theme A Peaceful World, music combined with lantern installations, a dialogue of drums and other percussion instruments called The Resonance of Vietmanese Spirit and the screening of historical films.

Installation art displays, a Children's Festival, the Hue Poetry Festival, and Gastronomy Days will also be held during the festival.

Meanwhile, the central province of Thua Thien-Hue will host events held under the auspices of the National Tourism Year 2012 for the north-central coastal area.

Called Heritage Tourism, the programme will take place in Thua Thien-Hue and cities and provinces of Ha Noi, HCM, Quang Nam, Da Nang, Quang Tri, Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An and Thanh Hoa.

The event will feature activities during 2012, especially in January, February, April, June, July and last months of next year.

Under the guidance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, 11 cultural, sport and tourism events will be held in the city during the festival, including Charming Viet Nam, Central Coastal Food Festival, the Southeast Asian chess contest, cross-country race, and the second International Choir Festival.

Phan Tien Dung, director of the province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the province would also host a programme to discover its seas and lagoons; the Dien Hue Nam Festival; a programme to promote tourism products in the rainy season; a programme to develop spiritual, handicraft villages and sea tourism products.

The northern port city of Hai Phong will host National Tourism Year 2013.

VNS