Northern Central Vietnam Entertainment And Festivals

The largest festival in the country, the famous Hu\ Festival takes place every two years and is jam-packed with music, dance, art, and entertainment. Visual, culinary, and musical performers travel from all over the world to put on shows throughout the city, ranging from medieval plays in the Citadel to giant food festivals. Each evening of the week-long festival, visitors can enjoy traditional folk songs and music by musicians and singers in costume. Boats filled with visitors leave daily from the southern side of the Perfume River and float amid city lights as songs of glory and love are performed on the banks of the river. Mid-performance, a break allows visitors to send candles floating on the river, following an Imperial tradition in which the king would make a wish and send paper boats carrying candles into the Perfume River. In the afternoons or evenings during the festival, take a stroll along the southeastern shore of the river; artists often bring their art to the streets or simply decorate the walkways themselves. The festival typically takes place in early to mid-June. To find out the dates for the 2008 festivities, check online at www.huefestival.com/index.htm. During this time of the summer, Hu\ tourism peaks, and visitors are advised to make housing plans well in advance.

Other than the biennial festival, there isn’t much in the way of organized entertainment. Luckily, all is not lost. Visitors can look inside the many art galleries on the streets that shoot off of Lˆ Li, or else listen and watch from a dragon boat on the Perfume River as musicians play traditional folk music and traditional dances are performed. (Tickets sold at 51 Lˆ Li. 1hr.; 80,000.)

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