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/VNP
