The festival will feature the cultural and artistic identities of the north, central region and south of Vietnam through the folk songs, dance and music of ethic minority groups across the country, such as the Khmer, Pa Then, BaNa, Mong, Nung and Cham people. The culinary culture, traditional costume and rituals of the three regions will also be showcased at the festival.

Other activities will include an exhibition displaying photos of President Ho Chi Minh in Thai Nguyen Province and the inauguration ceremony of an outdoor display area at the museum.

A seminar on Thai Nguyen tourism in connection with Hanoi and the country's northernmost provinces will also be held.

The event, held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the provincial People's Committee will draw ethnic people from Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Can, Lang Son, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Da Nang, Ninh Thuan and Kon Tum.

"The activities are intended to respect and promote national identities and introduce the unique cultures of different regions to foreign friends," said Huynh Vinh Ai, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Located in the centre of Thai Nguyen City, the museum is a repository of the culture of ethnic groups living throughout the Vietnam.

It was established in 1960 and contains more than 10,000 documents and artefacts belonging to the country's 54 ethnic groups. The museum also presents an extensive collection of agricultural, handicraft, and hunting tools. Ritual clothes featuring bright colours and decorative motifs of the different ethnic minorities are also exhibited.

The unusual costumes of the Tay and Nung ethnic groups used for worshipping their spirits are embroidered with lines and designs that supposedly perceive magical sounds.

The Viet-Muong showroom presents nearly 500 documents, objects, and photographs illustrating archaeological articles discovered in Phung Nguyen, Dong Dau and Go Mun in the north of the country. Exhibits of Vietnamese national agricultural and handicraft productions and brocades woven by the Muong are also displayed.

"It's a privilege for the museum to be selected as the venue of Thai Nguyen Culture and Tourism Week 2010," said Nguyen Thi Ngan, director of the museum.

"We will work with departments, enterprises, tourist companies and ethnic people across the whole country on the special event," she said".