In celebration of the 60^th anniversary of Hanoi’s Liberation Day (October 10, 1954 – October 10, 2014), the 4^th Dragon Dance Festival took place in front of the statue of King Ly Thai To in Chi Linh Park in Hanoi. The festival brought the audience eye-catching dragon dances imbued with cultural features of 1000 year-old Thang Long –Hanoi.

Dragon dance originated from the Thang Long (dragon flying) legend since King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long (present-day Hanoi) in 1010. The dance reflects people’s dreams and aspirations for a peaceful and prosperous life. Therefore, Hanoi has organized the dragon dance festival for the third time that honours the traditional value of the millennium capital.

The 4^th Dragon Dance Festival drew the participation of 25 dragon dance troupes from 25 districts in Hanoi. The performances were diverse in themes, such as “An Duong Vuong xay thanh Co Loa” (King An Duong built Co Loa Citadel) from Dong Anh Troupe, “Chuyen minh theo huong rong” (Changing as the direction of the dragon) of Chuong My Troupe and “Phu Dong rong bay” (Flying Dragon in Phu Dong) from Gia Lam Troupe, bringing the audience a visual feast.

Story: Tran ThanhGiang - Photos: Tran Thanh Giang& Thong Hai