Speaking at an international press conference in Hanoi on May 9 to announce the festivals, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Phuong said that the Hue Festival 2024 is expected to bring visitors new and unique experiences in culture, history, and arts. Domestic artists and 12 troupes from seven countries will perform at the event.

The event will include an opening ceremony on June 7 at Kien Trung Palace and street festivals on the afternoons of June 8 and June 10. Performances by domestic and international art troupes will be available between 7:30 pm and 11 pm from June 8-11 at Quoc Hoc Square and February 3 Park.

Within the framework of the Hue Festival 2024, there will be a musical programme featuring works by famous Vietnamese composer Trinh Cong Son, a lighting festival at Thai Binh Lau (Royal Library) and Thieu Phuong garden in the Hue Citadel (Dai Noi), a beer festival, a vegetarian cuisine festival and lantern festival at Nghinh Luong Dinh (Luong Dinh Welcome Pavilion) from June 8-9.

The Hue Festival, held for 24 years, is one of the key international art events in Vietnam.

Themed “Cultural Heritage with International Integration and Development”, the Hue Festival 2024 will feature an array of outstanding festivals, including the Spring Festival from January to March, the Summer Festival from April to June, the Autumn Festival from July to September, and Winter Festival from October to December, and hundreds of response activities.

The locality debuted the Hue Festival 2024 by performing the Ban Soc (royal calendar delivery) ceremony on January 1 – the event that kings under the Nguyen Dynasty organised to distribute calendars for royal mandarins at Ngo Mon (Noon Gate). Ordinary people received the calendar in their localities.

Hue, the imperial capital of Vietnam for over 100 years, has been a unique destination in central Vietnam with its five UNESCO heritage: the ancient citadel relic complex, Hue royal court music, Nguyen Dynasty’s wooden blocks, Nguyen Dynasty’s royal administrative documents, and literature on Hue royal architecture.

The Hue Festival 2024 is of special significance in the context of Thua Thien - Hue province's efforts to realise the goal of becoming a centrally-run city based on the conservation and promotion of the values of the imperial heritage and cultural identity of Hue./.VNA