The Can Tho Tourism Festival 2020 will open in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta City of Can Tho on November 27. Traditional music, dances and songs in praise of the culture and lifestyle of Can Tho will be featured at the three-day event. —  Photo courtesy of the organiser

The event will include 12 cultural and arts programmes featuring hundreds of performers from leading art troupes of Can Tho and other provinces in the region. 

Street shows of traditional martial arts and dances will be included.

The festival will also include folk games, artistic performances, and cooking and sports competitions.

Tài tử (a traditional music genre of the South) performances will be staged at the Cai Rang floating market, one of the region’s most popular tourist destinations. Highlighted performances will feature Vietnam’s historical events and national heroes.

Food courts will introduce traditional dishes and fruits from local farms.

The event will feature paper lanterns placed on the river to wish for happiness and good harvests.

Local tourist agencies have been encouraged to offer new eco-tours at reasonable prices for local and foreign visitors. 

Last year, Can Tho attracted 5.3 million visitors, earning more than VND1.8 trillion (US$79 million). It has 37 homestay and eco-tourism sites.

This year, the city plans to develop eco-tourism services and promote cultural and tourism activities at the Cai Rang floating market and Ninh Kieu Wharf.

The organisers, the city’s People’s Committee in co-operation with the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will host a light festival called Đêm Tây Đô Huyền Ảo (Magical Night in Can Tho) in Ninh Kieu District’s Cai Khe Commune on November 28 and 29.  

A light festival called Đêm Tây Đô Huyền Ảo (Magical Night in Can Tho) will be illuminated with many LED lights and coloured lanterns in Ninh Kieu District’s Cai Khe Commune. — Photo courtesy of the organiser

The streets will be illuminated with many LED lights and coloured lanterns. 

Lighting performances will feature the beauty of Can Tho. The development and activities of Can Tho and its people in the past centuries will also be included. 

More than 200 lanterns in shapes of lotuses will be placed on Can Tho River. 

"The Can Tho Tourism Festival 2020 and the light festival Đêm Tây Đô Huyền Ảo in particular will be a rendezvous for residents and visitors to visit, take photos and go shopping," said Nguyen Ngoc Anh, deputy chairman of Can Tho’s People’s Committee. 

“The event was scheduled to open in August and the city decided to postpone it due to COVID-19 pandemic. We hope our festival will promote Can Tho’s tourist activities and introduce the city’s culture and lifestyle to people nationwide,” he said. 

Local tourist agencies will offer new eco-tours at reasonable prices at the Cai Rang floating market and Ninh Kieu Wharf for visitors. More than 10,000 people are expected to visit Can Tho during the festival.  VNS

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