400,000 people visited the eighth Hue Traditional Craft Festival in the central
province of Thua Thien-Hue from April 27-May 1, showing a 2.3-fold rise over the
previous edition in 2017, according to the organisers.
From April 28 to May 1, the occupancy
rate of hotels in the province hit more than 97 percent. Foreign tourists to
Thua Thien-Hue were mainly from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Thailand,
Malaysia, France and the US.
The eighth Hue Traditional Craft
Festival wrapped up in the former imperial capital of Hue on May 1 with a grand
closing ceremony. Various contracts were signed during the event.
Vice Standing Chairman of the Hue
city People’s Committee Nguyen Dang Thanh, vice head of the organising board,
affirmed that the festival aims to honour quintessence of traditional crafts,
improve the efficiency of traditional craft production and business, enhance
cooperation across spheres, spur socio-economic growth, and combine handicrafts
with tourism development.
Starting from April 26, the event
introduced 60 craft villages and more than 350 artisans from not only Thua
Thien-Hue but also other cities and provinces such as Ha Giang, Hoa Binh,
Hanoi, Ha Nam, Hung Yen, Thai Binh in the north, Ninh Thuan in the south
central region, Lam Dong in the Central Highlands and Dong Thap in the south.
The festival was also attended by 70
foreign artisans from seven cities of Japan, the RoK, China and Turkey that have
twin-city and cooperative relationships with Hue. Notably, Takayama, Sasayama,
and Saijo of Japan; along with Gyeongju, Namyangiu, and Dongnae of the Republic
of Korea (RoK) had participated in previous editions of the festival.
Art performances of the festival also
drew a large number of visitors, with the participation of over 500 artists, including
a grand opening ceremony, a special music programme by RoK artists and an event
highlighting ao dai (Vietnam’s national dress), among others.
In addition, as many as 36 craft
manufacturers joined a contest on outstanding products of the 2019 festival.
Artisan Nguyen Van Hung of Bat Trang pottery village in Hanoi won the first
prize with a pair of indigo vases.-VNA
