(VOVworld) – Hoi An is sparkling these days with colorful lanterns decorating every corner. Tranquil streets are now busy with activities of the 5th Quang Nam Heritage Festival. Tourists are greeted with friendly smiles from the locals.
The Quang Nam Heritage region features the ancient town of Hoi An and My Son sanctuary, two UNESCO-recognized world heritage sites, and Cham islat, a world biosphere reserve with rich and diverse flora and fauna, including a precious species of swallow. The festival is a showcase for the Vietnam-ASEAN cultural heritage space and international cultural performances. Prior to the festival, an international choir contest took place in Hoi An, involving 500 artists from 9 countries and territories such as Australia, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, the US and Myanmar.
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| Representatives from ASEAN countries |
Dinh Hai, Director of Quang Nam province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “As has been the tradition, the choirs are open widely to the local community. Artists sing without microphones but with all their enthusiasm, which inspires the community. We hope to entertain people with music and promote cultural exchanges”.
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| The Vietnam-ASEAN cultural heritage space |
The international choir contest is a get-together of choir enthusiasts to boost cultural understanding between nations, friendship, solidarity and cooperation. Freddy Lengkong, head of the Indonesian delegation, said: “We bring many tribal songs in Indonesia. At the opening were the songs from Jakarta. It’s possible that can participate in competition like this to show the world our music”.
22 typical Vietnamese corners and a common ASEAN space impress visitors, starting with the northernmost province of Ha Giang and ending with the southern province of Kien Giang. Dinh Hai said: “Our biggest expectation is to promote more widely an image of Quang Nam province, including its cultural and tourist aspects, to boost local development. We hope that through the festival we will gain more experiences in heritage preservation for economic growth”.
Old streets and the Hoai river glisten at night. An Australian tourist named Asoki is present at the heritage festival. She said: “It’s great to be here and we are very glad to see the choir and the dancing. It’s beautiful. I love the lighting effects that they have. We planned to leave today. But the festival is on, we decide to stay for some more days. We were looking around in the evening when the events are on. We probably come back to see some more here because it’s a heritage event”.
During the 5th Quang Nam Heritage Festival, there is a festival of amateur arts of Vietnam’s ethnic groups. Every night of the festival on the Hoai river, visitors are treated to Vietnam’s folk performances such as Quan Ho duet singing, southern amateur singing, and Hue chanting.