The Nha Trang Sea Festival 2009 will be organised from June 6-12 to attract more domestic and foreign tourists to the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa, said a local official.

The province has now completed all necessary preparations for the biennial event, the fourth of its kind so far, said Le Xuan Than, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and Head of the organising board, on February 18.

According to the official, this year’s festival will feature a broad range of culture, sports and tourism activities, including street festivals, exhibitions of books, photos and calligraphy, French film screening, art performances and water sports competitions.

Art troupes from France, Ukraine, Japan and the Republic of Korea are expected to participate in the festival.

Organisations and businesses both inside and outside Khanh Hoa have to date pledged to contribute almost VND 10 billion to support the hosting of the festival.

(Source: VNA)

A royal music exchange programme between Vietnam and Japan will be held at Okinawa National Theatre of the latter country from February 12-15, 2009.

Twenty-two dancers and instrumentalists of the Hue Royal Traditional Art Theatre of Vietnam will take part in the performance, introducing the most popular pieces of royal music and folk dances of the former imperial city of Hue, the Hue Relic Preservation Centre announced on February 1.

It added that the performance will help boost cooperation ties between the two theatres.

(Source: VNA)

Thousands of people flocked to the opening ceremony of this year’s Yen Tu Spring Festival in the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh on February 4, the tenth day of the first lunar month.

Among those present at the ceremony were Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan and the Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s Executive Council, Most Venerable Thich Thanh Tu, who were joined by thousands of pilgrims.

Buddhist dignitaries, monks, nuns and followers and visitors offered incense to King Tran Nhan Tong, who reigned over the country from 1279 to 1293, and joined the opening prayer.

Yen Tu welcomed 150,000 visitors during the first nine days of this year’s first lunar month.

Yen Tu Mountain is located about 50km from Halong City. The route of the pilgrimage, which winds from the foot of the mountain to its highest peak, is almost 30km.

The area’s beautiful natural landscape and awe-inspiring scenery, along with the ancient pagodas and hermitages that are dotted around, are said to have been the reason that King Tran Nhan Tong passed the throne to his son so that he could devote his life to living as a Buddhist monk at Yen Tu Mountain. Whilst there, he founded the Truc Lam meditation sect, which has led to Yen Tu being recognised as the country’s leading centre for Buddhism.

(Source: VNA)