Hanoi Tourism Festival Planned for 2005

The Hanoi International Tourism Festival 2005 is scheduled to take place from April 2 to May 1, 2005, around Hoan Kiem Lake and surrounding pedestrian areas, Ly Thai To flower garden, Bach Thao park, and the Temple of Literature.

This event will present both Hanoi and Vietnam’s unique tourism products and introduce traditional Vietnamese activities to the world in the historical atmosphere of the thousand-year-old capital, which has been recognized as “The City of Peace” by UNESCO.

According to Tran Huu Binh, deputy head of Hanoi Tourism Department, the festival will be organized on a larger and more diverse scale than those held in previous years. An exhibition with 300 stalls presenting high-quality hotel-tourism products and unique souvenirs and items made by traditional handicraft villages will also be open along with special tours around the city. The exhibition will be a major part of the festival.

A culinary art festival will also take place at the Zoological Gardens, promising to attract a large number of prestige restaurants and hotels. This will be a special activity to present Vietnamese traditional dishes such as pho (a kind of instant noodle), cha ca (Hanoi fried fish with dill), and bun oc (rice vermicelli with fresh water snail) among others. The culinary art festival will be open in a traditionally colourful atmosphere with performances from Quan ho Bac Ninh (folk songs of Bac Ninh province), water puppetry, don ca tai tu Nam Bo (a genre of southern chamber music), Tuong (Theatrical Opera), Cheo (Traditional Opera), Xam (Xam Melodies), and Ca tru (literally, song of the women singers). 

A show displaying Bat Trang Porcelain and Ceramic ware with 50 stalls will also be held, giving opportunities to travellers to directly participate in the ceramic production process with the help of local artists, as well as to view Bat Trang’s world famous ceramic products with their own eyes.  

• T.V