The theme of next year’s Hue festival would be named “Cultural heritage with integration and development”, said the Festival Organising Committee.

The 2014 Hue Festival, to be held from April 12-20, would bring together art troupes from 25 countries and territories worldwide and France would be the main partner, added the Organising Committee.

The Vietnam Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (Vietinbank) on September 21 became the biggest sponsor for 2014 Festival after the bank had sealed a deal to fund 5 billion VND (230,000 USD) for the event.

Vietinbank’s Thua Thien–Hue branch also transferred bo bien chung (brass bells), instruments that were used in Hue ’s royal performances during the Nguyen dynasty, to the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre. The bank funded 300 million VND (14,200 USD) for the restoration of the bells.

The restoration work took place Hue city’s Duc precinct with the assistance of Korean traditional percussion artisan Kim Huyn-kon.

Dr Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Hue Conservation Centre explained that “bo bien chung” brass bells are arranged in a specific position to achieve different sound levels. The bells used to be played at musical performances in the Hue royal court. However, the instrument fell into oblivion in the early 1900s, and nobody is able to play them at present.

Since Hue royal court music (“nha nhac”) was recognised by UNESCO in 2003 as world intangible cultural heritage, the centre has actively implemented several projects to preserve and restore music and equipment from the Hue royal time .-VNA