VietNamNet Bridge - The nine-day Hue Festival 2008, set to open on June 3 in Hue city, will bring together a record number of traditional and contemporary art troupes and sculptors from 27 nations.

Organisers are aiming to build upon the success of Hue festivals that date back to 2000, working on its artistic quality and professionalism to highlight its position as a national centre of culture and tourism. The festival, taking the theme of Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development, is infused with Vietnamese and Hue cultural identity, along with the expansion of international exchanges, socio-economic development, and the promotion of Vietnamese tourism development.

“The festival will be an innovative, inspiring and attractive event to domestic and international tourists,” says Nguyen Duy Hien, deputy director of the festival’s organising committee.

Working up to the opening ceremony, a variety of folklore festivities will take place every month, starting from Tet (Lunar New Year) festival and warming to the big day. The Fifth International Sculpture Symposium will be launched on May 3 at the Abalone Resort and Spa and last for one month as the traditional prelude to Hue Festival.

Fireworks artist

The festival pairs artistic performances from various Vietnamese cultural regions, particularly from Hue royal arts, along with artists from all over the world including France as the main partner and also Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, China, and Indonesia just to name a few.

Thirty-one different programmes have been set so far, from music and dance to theatre, circus, exhibition, installation and street performing arts, with styles touching all corners of the globe.

One highlight will be French fireworks artist Pierre Alain Hubert who will work with the Z21 Factory of Fireworks from the Ministry of Defence on a brilliant fireworks display for the opening and closing ceremonies and the ao dai fashion show.

Day and night time activities will take place inside the Citadel, An Dinh Palace, while many squares will offer a wide range of unique and colourful festivities. Royal festivities will be re-enacted including the Nam Giao Ritual Offering which presents the grandiose of a royal rite at Hue ancient capital, and the Imperial Nights programme will spotlight the glistening beauty of the Citadel at night.

Crowds can relive the crowning ceremony of Hero Nguyen Hue, known as Quang Trung Emperor to commemorate the 220 th anniversary of his coronation, and the Competition of Military Mandarins will be partially re-enacted. The cultural space of the Royal Tiger Arena (Ho Quyen) and the Temple of Elephant ’s roaring (Voi Re) will witness various cultural events, community and royal festivities for the public.

The Hue Festival takes place every two years and this year is event will celebrate the 15 th anniversary of when the Hue’s Complex of Monuments was officially listed as a World Cultural Heritage site and the 5 th anniversary of when the Hue Royal Court Music – nha nhac- was recognised as a masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

According to Hien, 3,000 hotel rooms are ready to welcome tourists from all corners of the world.

The festival will officially kick off on the evening of June 3 at Ngo Mon Square and conclude the evening of June 11 on the Huong River . Further information on the Festival Hue 2008 can be found on the website www.huefestival.com.

(Source: VNA)