A seminar to discuss preparations for Hue Festival 2014 was held in the central city of Hue  on March 8 and attended by representatives from travel agencies and press agencies throughout the country.

Attendees voiced their opinions on the organisation of the event. The capacity for supplying accommodation and transport services was also deliberated.

All participants concurred that the festival is an international-level event that requires close and harmonious management.

Addressing the seminar, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of central Thua Thien-Hue province, Ngo Hoa, also called on press agencies to continue publicising the event to international sources in order to attract more foreign tourists to Hue in the coming time.

Themed “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, the festival is slated to take place from April 12-20 in the imperial city. As many as 40 art troupes from 31 countries across the world have so far registered to join the event.

The festival is part the East Asian-Latin American cultural exchange forum held by Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It will feature an Ao dai show and exhibitions featuring Hue kite flying, calligraphy, food demos and street performance, among others.

Vietnam will, for the first time, welcome world famous guests such as Brazil’s Sururu Na Roda band, Japan’s Bati-Holic drum troupe, and the Palestinian folk dance collective Asayel at the event.

The festival will highlight Nha Nhac – the royal court music and dance of Hue which has been named by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. A similar variant of this elegant music is popular in Japan, where it is known as “Gegaku”, and also expected to be highlighted at the event.

The ASEAN+3 Ministerial Meeting on Culture and Fine Arts will also take place in the city from April 16-21.-VNA