Hue gets set for best festival yet

The nine-day Hue Festival, to be held this year in June, is famed for its traditional and modern performances by musicians, dancers and artists the world over.

Deputy head of the event’s organising board, Nguyen Duy Hien, said this year the biennial event would continue to be a forum for international and regional artists.

Performers from around the country will be featured, including the Hue Royal Arts troupe, as well as 39 groups from 21 countries. More groups are expected to be included at a later date, he said.

The festival will open on June 3 at Hue Imperial Citadel’s Noon Gate and wrap up on June 11 on the Huong River.

Countries represented include France, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cambodia, China, the Czech Republic and India.

Other performing groups come from Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Romania, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US. Performers from the National Centre for Korean Namdo Performing Arts will play Korean traditional music as well as Vietnamese traditional music using Korean musical instruments.

The 22-member jazz ensemble Kimotion from the US will bring a combination of rock and classical music, and will perform with Vietnamese artists.

The dance group Flamingo from Russia hails from the far eastern part of Russia, specialising in traditional classic and folk dances as well as jazz and contemporary dance.

Also performing at the festival will be stilt-walking group De Koninklijke Steltenlopers Merchtem from Belgium.

Sponsored by the US Consulate in HCM City, the well-known female singer, Coco York, and her instrumentalists will also participate this year.

Switzerland’s Orches Trio Zurich and performer Camille Huyen will display their virtuosity in performances of both traditional and contemporary music.

On Tuesday, the provincial authority received a grant of US$100,000 presented by the Ford Foundation which funds a two-year project to restore the traditional art forms at the festival and enhance the capacity of the Hue Festival Centre.

Hien said the French embassy would provide Thua Thien-Hue Province with US$30,000 this month for the training of technicians for the event.

France is negotiating with Vietnam Airlines on the opening of a number of additional direct flights from Paris to Ha Noi this summer to increase the number of visitors to Hue during the festival.

France has been a partner of Viet Nam in the organisation of the annual festivals in Hue since 2000.

The festival is one of nine hallmark events of Viet Nam’s tourism in 2008 selected by the Ministry of Culture, Sport, and Tourism.

Source: VNS