2006 Hue Festival

 The 2006 Hue Festival

ImageFollowing the success of the 2000, 2002 and 2004 Hue Festivals, Hue has become recognized as one of Vietnam's premier festival city. The Hue Festival has become an event of significance, and its success has spread widely both in and outside of Vietnam.

The 2006 Hue Festival will coincide the 700th anniversary of the O Ly-Thuan Hoa-Phu Xuan-Thua Thien Hue region. 2006 Hue Festival activities got started in early May and will last for a month. These include the International Sculpture Camp 'Hue - Vietnam Impressions of 2006,' an International Music Composition Camp, the first of its kind in Vietnam, meetings to mark Vietnam-EU culture year, the Hue Poem Festival, and meetings with Vietnam ancient capital cities' beauty queens. And there will be other culture and art programs in addition to sports and tourist activities.

Starting June 3, and continuing for the nine days the ancient capital city of Hue and outlying areas will become an attractive cultural space with hundreds of cultural and tourist programs taking place continuously honoring Vietnamese culture, particularly Hue culture.

The 2006 Hue Festival opening ceremony will take place on June 3, 2006 at Ngo Mon Square and it will be massive. There will be professional music and dance performances on stage and games in the open square. You can expect a firecracker performance by Pierre Alain Hubert, concerts by the traditional symphony orchestra, royal dance and court music, and entertainment provided by many Vietnamese art troupes.

From June 3-11, Dai Noi (Royal Palace) center and An Dinh Palace will be the scene of distinctive Vietnamese arts, particularly Hue royal art, and art of different Vietnamese regions, together with a circus act from the UK, Russia's classical dance, Thai and Indonesian songs and music, Argentine Tango, and court music from the Republic of Korea and Japan. Each of the three days there will be followed by Hue royal nights best enjoyed in Dai Noi. The mysterious ambience of the Hue royal palace will be enhanced with royal dance and court music on stage. Royal cuisine will be another feature of the night, along with royal games from the old days.
For the first time the 2006 Hue Festival will host a ceremony in which the Golden Boards bearing the names of doctoral degree holders are taken from Ngo Mon tower to Phu Van tower, and new doctoral degree holder are taken to the royal palace to attend a banquet. The Nam Giao festival will be staged on a broader scale to present the magnificence of a Vietnamese royal feast.

Apart from traditional feasts and art presentations, the 2006 Hue Festival also highlights the beauty of Vietnamese ao dai (long dress). Ao dai will be presented with modern styling and there will be fashion shows with hundreds of luscious models from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hue showing just how lovely a Vietnamese ao dai can be. A very special firecracker performance will take place above the Huong River on Hue's well-known Truong Tien Bridge.

The 2006 Hue Festival will also attempt to present distinctive cultures of the Central Highlands, particularly gong music that has been recognized as an verbal and intangible cultural heritage. An example of the traditional communal house of the Central Highlands along with certain practices (including the Ban Don elephant race) can be seen.

A range of cultural practices will be available on an extensive scale from Hue's center to neighboring areas, from temples and royal tombs to ancient quarters and craft villages. At the 2006 Hue Festival, visitors can discover the live-style of Hue people in a festival situation, the Tam Giang lagoon, the well-known Truong Son mountain range, the Bach Ma-Lang Co-Canh Duong eco tourist site, and its popular pagodas. Many activities will take place in areas adjacent to Hue such as the Lang Co Sea, the Resounding Truong Son, and elsewhere.

The 2006 Hue Festival fair will take place at the Thua Thien - Hue Sports Tournament Center. During the occasion there will be international workshops and meetings on medicine, ancient Vietnamese scrip and investment and cooperation in production and services.

As the country vigorously develops, the province of Thua Thien - Hue is stepping into its impressive and eventful festivity season.