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| International art troupes performed on the streets at Hue Festival 2022. Photo: Hue Festival Center |
Endless innovation
In 2000, the first Hue Festival was organized, becoming a typical cultural event, a famous domestic and international brand, and an opportunity to introduce and promote the Vietnamese image, country, people, and culture most vividly and attractively. Hue Festival honors the traditional and contemporary cultural and artistic values of Vietnam, affirming the prestige and strength of a cultural center with a unique world heritage in association with integration and development.
Festival Hue is a great art program elaborately, professionally, and majestically staged. Apart from the programs bearing the stamp of the royal court and traditional culture of Hue such as royal night, royal dinner party, ban soc (calendar distribution) ceremony, Nam Giao sacrificial ceremony, ao dai (Vietnamese traditional gown) festival, etc. Hue Festival also has many novel art programs bringing the breath of the times with famous art troupes from many countries such as France, England, Belgium, Denmark, Korea, Japan, the United States, Italy, Laos, Mongolia, Mexico, Russia, Thailand, Spain, Turkey, China, Australia, etc.
Since then, Hue Festival has continuously been innovated. Each festival attracts thousands of actors and dozens of international art troupes, who participate in performances, meeting the growing need to enjoy the culture and art of tens of thousands of people and tourists, contributing to strengthening the spirit of solidarity and exchange among countries.
According to Dr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports, throughout 11 Festivals and from 2022 onwards, the Festival has been innovated in the form of a four-season festival - one festival per season to attract tourists to Hue.
It can be said that culture is always the vital factor to tap and praise Hue's brand. The cross-cutting slogan of Hue Festival is "Cultural heritage with integration and development". Especially for Hue, the international factor always plays an important role, so the Hue Festival is an opportunity for cultural public performance and cultural quintessence convergence so that those cultural values can be promoted, spread, and clearly manifest their values. That is the way Hue both promotes and builds its brand. The Hue Festival brand has been shaped. Hue - Festival City is no longer just a name but a brand.
Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh, Head of the Organizing Committee of Hue Festival 2024, said that the brand, also characteristic of Hue Festival, is where traditional culture and arts from all over the country and the world converge and interact. Therefore, the Hue Festival continues to promote the spirit of innovation and connection between historical Hue and current Hue to affirm a future Hue. Simultaneously, it honors and promotes the unique cultural features of the land and taps the strength in landscapes, architecture, and spiritual tourism so that Hue can truly become a typical Festival city of Vietnam.
City of festivals
In 2024, the Hue Festival with a four-season orientation will continue to exploit festivals throughout the year such as folk festivals, royal festivals, religious festivals, and traditional festivals. Simultaneously, it step by step builds new festival programs in line with the trend, meeting the public's need for enjoyment, developing into a periodic tourism product, and contributing to boosting the local socio-economic development.
The key week of Hue Festival 2024, taking place from June 7 - 12 will be a series of high-quality art festival activities, gathering the artists from Hue, Vietnamese cultural regions, and international special art troupes, introducing high-quality traditional and contemporary art programs from nearly 10 countries from the continents.
The opening program of Hue Festival Week 2024 takes place on the evening of June 7 at Kien Trung Palace, Hue Royal Palace; "Cultural Colors" Festival on June 8 - 10 on downtown streets; Performance programs of domestic and international art troupes from June 8 - 11 at outdoor stages; Music program "Trinh Cong Son Dialogue - Sending something with Hue identity"; Light Festival at Thai Binh Lau (Peace Building) and Thieu Phuong Garden, Royal Palace; Art program closes Hue Festival Week 2024.
In addition, there are other special programs and activities such as the Lantern Festival, Hue Vegetarian Cuisine Festival, "Tam Giang Waves” Festival, exhibitions, scientific conferences, etc.
Mr. Hoang Viet Trung, Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, said that Hue Festival 2024 is of particular significance in the context that Thua Thien Hue is striving to soon finalize its target of becoming a centrally-governed city based on preserving and promoting the value of the Ancient Capital's heritage and Hue's cultural identity with the cultural, heritage, ecological, landscape, environmentally-friendly and smart characteristics.
This is also an opening for Hue's cultural heritage to focus on promoting their values, creating a strong spillover in the community. With the target of preserving traditional values, the selection, research, and restoration of royal architectural heritage, and the recreation of several festivals associated with architectural heritage in Hue have had a positive impact on the development of local culture and tourism through the festivals over the years.
“Building and developing the Hue Festival brand is what the Organizing Committee and relevant agencies are continuing to maintain, through the traditional programs and vibrant spaces for Hue Festival to attract a wider audience, towards the true city of festivals," Mr. Trung said.
From the achievements and experiences gained, Hue Festival 2024 - "Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development" will continue to innovate, attract, and call upon friends from near and far to reach Hue and revisit Hue.