The 5th Quang Nam Heritage Festival, co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee, is expected to see the participation of 18 provinces and cities that are home to world heritage sites and biosphere reserves.

The festival is expected to stimulate the province's socio-economic development, according to a plan announced at a working session held in Quang Nam on April 10 to prepare for the festival.

High on the list of scheduled programmes will be the sharing of experiences in heritage preservation among ASEAN countries and the aforementioned Vietnamese localities, cultural exchanges, and local tourism and cultural promotion, said Vice Chairman of the provincial committee Tran Minh Ca.

Activities will include an exhibition called "Vietnam-ASEAN Cultural Heritage Space", a ceremony to mark the 10 th anniversary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the 3 rd International Choir Festival, the Miss Ethnic Vietnam 2013 pageant and the Art Festival for Vietnamese Ethnic Minority Groups.

Meanwhile, tourism promotion activities for the province will showcase the unique Cham culture and gong festivals performed by local ethnic artists.

On this occasion, an international conference on preserving intangible cultural heritage will be jointly held by the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, UNESCO and the province, said Deputy Minister Ho Anh Tuan.