Upcoming cultural festivals in Ha Long, Nha Trang

Quang Ninh and Khanh Hoa provinces will celebrate two major festivals this May and June.

The Ha Long Tourism Week is taking place between April 29 th and May 2 nd at the World Heritage Site of Ha Long Bay, and the event will highlight a street carnival to mark its fifth annual celebration.

The week will feature festivities to showcase cultural characteristics of each locality in the province, including processions of the local gods.

In the opening ceremony, there will be a 90-minute light performance, including a fireworks display called “Ha Long by night.” Organizers have invited Chinese art troupes to the event.

The Ha Long Carnival will wrap up the week at the Bai Chay Tourist area on May 1st, with art performances, a masquerade, and a carnival parade.

In central Nha Trang City in Khanh Hoa Province, Sea Festival 2011 is themed “Nha Trang – Sea of Rendezvous,” and will take place from June 11 th to June 15th.

The organizers said the festival will include the Truong Sa (Spratly Islands) Day – packed with conferences, photo exhibitions, art performances and screenings related to the Spratly Islands.

Activities include a whale-worship fest, bird’s nest fest, a street carnival, beach volleyball tournaments and traditional art performances.

Local artists and a number of performers from Japan, China, France and South Korea have signed up for the event which occurs every other year.

The festival was first introduced in 2003 and it is the organizer’s intentions to present the vast culture and traditions of Vietnam’s smaller provinces to the rest of the world. – Thanhnien

Tags: Vietnam cultural festivals