The biennial event, the seventh of its kind since 2003, will involve a number of artistic, cultural and sporting events featuring both traditional and modern cultural characteristics, said Director of Khanh Hoa provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Truong Dang Tuyen at a press conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on June 12.

Activities include a food fair, exhibitions on cultural heritage and Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago sovereignty documentation, a national sailing boat championships and a Cham pottery making demonstration.

In a bid to lure more tourists to the locality, the province will inaugurate new eco-tourism tours and begin construction on the salangane man-made cave during the festival.

As one of the largest events in the city, the festival is part of efforts to preserve and promote regional and national cultural sea values.

This year’s event is expected to draw some 150,000 domestic and foreign visitors.

The coastal city of Nha Trang is the main tourist attraction in the central province of Khanh Hoa, 440 kilometres northeast of Ho Chi Minh City and around 1,300 kilometres from Ha Noi.

Known for the beautiful Nha Trang Bay and friendly atmosphere, the city helped attract over 3.3 million visitors to Khanh Hoa last year.

During the six-day holiday in late April, the city hosted 107,000 visitors including nearly 15,000 foreigners.