Hue hopes for image boost from fest
A fusion of traditional court music from Vietnam, Korea and Japan will be one of the highlights of the biennial Festival Hue in June as the central city strives to consolidate its status as Vietnam's festival city.
The special performance will feature Vietnam's nha nhac (court music), Korea's dang-ak and hyang-ak, and Japan's gagaku.
There will also be exclusive performances of nha nhac which is played using the two-chord fiddle, three-chord zither, and bamboo flute. The genre was recognised as a world intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2004.
Ngo Hoa, deputy chairman of the People's Committee of Thua Thien-Hue Province, where Hue is situated, said the Festival Hue 2006 - scheduled for June 3 to 11 - would feature activities to showcase Hue as a cultural centre for artists and art enthusiasts at home and abroad.
"Introducing Hue and its traditional cultures and lifestyles to the world is our goal," he said.
The theme this year would be "700 Years of Hue's Cultural Heritage, Its integration and Development."
The emphasis at the festival will be on open-air cultural activities, including dance and theatrical performances, and art exhibitions.
They will include other traditional court arts from Hue - once the seat of imperial power in Vietnam - like dancing and folk music.
The opening ceremony will be held at the Ngo Mon Square while the art and cultural shows by local and foreign art troupes will go on from morning to late night at the citadel in Dai Noi palace.
Organisers have invited performers and troupes from France, Britain, Russia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, and Argentina.
What's new ?
A traditional drama performance named Le Dang Quang (The Coronation), by Vietnamese and French artists, will be staged for the first time at the event.
It will be performed by professional artists from the Vietnam Tuong (Classical Drama) Theatre and the Meonte-Charge Theatre.
To help visitors learn more about Hue's traditional lifestyles, the festival will revive traditional sub-festivals like the Nam Giao Festival and Doctor Laureate Proclamation Ceremony.
While the popular Nam Giao Festival was meant only for the king and his mandarins, the Doctor Laureate Proclamation Ceremony was originally held to welcome new doctors back to their native villages.
A UNESCO-recognised intangible oral masterpiece of humanity will also feature for the first time at the Festival Hue: gongs from the Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen) region's ethnic minority cultures.
Traditional artists will play two types of gongs, cong and chieng, at several shows which will also feature elephants.
Festival organisers said 123 hotels and many guest houses in Hue were ready to receive visitors and had promised to hold all prices stable until the duration of the event.
Vietnam News Agency - February 20, 2006.
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