A music festival featuring police brass bands from Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US and Vietnam began in Hanoi on Oct. 23.

After performing on an outdoor stage in front of the King Ly Thai To Statue in the city centre, the performers made a parade around Hoan Kiem Lake , attracting thousands of onlookers.

The festival, held in Vietnam for the first time, was jointly organised by the Japanese Mainichi newspaper and the Vietnam Ministry of Public Security.

Genta Furukuwa, a member of organising board, said the festival aimed to raise the profile of the public security agencies. The main programme will take place on Oct. 24 at the Hanoi Opera House where the groups will play classical and contemporary music, said Furukuwa.

Started in 1996, the annual festival had been held in countries and territories including the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Japan, Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Spain and Singapore./.