The UNESCO-recognised World Cultural Heritage city of Hue in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue is in a festive atmosphere as numerous activities are being held as part of the 2014 Hue Festival.
A street festival themed “Heritage and Cultural Colours” is taking place every day along Dong Da street beginning April 13 until the end of the Hue Festival.
Some 20 Vietnamese and foreign arts troupes stirred the atmosphere with traditional music and dances from East Asian and Latin American countries along with circus performances.
Also on April 13, pet bird keepers from 15 provinces and cities nationwide gathered at the Hai Ba Trung High School for a bird show. They brought along 600 bird cages to the event, which attracted a lot of locals.
At night the same day, the Imperial Citadel was turned into a big music stage as bands from Norway, Australia, the US or Japan gave performances at many places inside the citadel.
Along with musical shows, an exhibition of 48 royal artefacts is open to visitors, showing porcelain pieces and daily utensils used by kings of the Nguyen Dynasty.
On this occasion, Thai Y Duong - the workplace of royal physicians – is also open to the public.
The Hue Festival is held every two years to honour unique cultural and historical values of Hue in particular and Viet Nam and other nations in general through art performances.
The eighth event of its kind, the festival this year took the theme of “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, and is part of the East Asian-Latin American cultural exchange forum held by Viet Nam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.