Focusingon the theme “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, thisyear’s festival was the biggest yet, with the participation of 43international delegations from five continents and 23 domestic arttroupes, all of whom delighted audiences with nearly 100 arts programmeson 15 stages around Hue city.
In addition, the artists deliveredfree performances for locals in the districts and towns in Thua Thien –Hue province. Patients at Hue Central Hospital and Hue Medical andPharmaceutical Hospital had a chance to enjoy music and dances by TheAmigos from the US, La Colmenita from Cuba and Los Andes from Chile.
Astreet carnival which was held in the main streets of Hue to create anexciting atmosphere for the public received an enthusiastic responsefrom visitors.
Mobile stages were set up on roadsides and atfactories so that people from all walks of life could meet with famoussingers, dancers and musicians from Vietnam and abroad.
“HueFestival has brought joy to everyone and has created a bond among allparticipating nations. It also strengthened the solidarity and loveamong humans”, said Gonzalo Olmos, leader of the Chilean art troupe.
Thefestive atmosphere also spread to rural areas during the rural marketheld in Thuy Thanh commune, Huong Thuy town, where manual agriculturalproduction practices were demonstrated by local residents. The event,which attracted around 9,000 visitors, encouraged the full participationof the public, making them major actors in organising activities aswell as enjoying them.
According to Ngo Hoa, head of thefestival’s organising board and vice chairman of the Thua Thien-Hueprovincial People’s Committee, the festival was held under the motto of“Impression – Friendliness – Safety”, in which ensuring visitors safetywas placed above all else. Relevant agencies made every effort tomaintain security, social order and traffic safety. Therefore, the eventcreated satisfaction among holidaymakers, as they were prevented fromfalling prey to tourist traps and were provided with attractive touristproducts.
Over the first three days, Hue received nearly 50,000visitors, roughly 22,000 of whom were foreigners. The number of visitorscontinued to increase sharply on the subsequent days, and the totalreached 2.4 million by closing day - an increase of 25% over theprevious edition in 2012. This figure includes 100,000 foreign visitorsfrom 115 countries and territories.
The increase in touristnumbers and the improvement in the professionalism of event organisationare heartening signs for the festival’s organisers, according to PhanTien Dung, director of the Thua Thien – Hue provincial Department ofCulture, Sports and Tourism. The festival’s success contributed toboosting tourism, attracting investment for develop tourist services,and helping to bring cultural value to tourist activities.-VNA