Hue Festival a national treasure: Minister

 The Hue Festival is a cultural event of national significance that requires high quality programmes and services, Hoang Tuan Anh, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said yesterday.

In a meeting with the organizers of Hue Festival 2014, he said that the event is not just important to the host city, impacting as it does the nation's cultural profile.


He asked local authorities to take all security precautions needed from now until the closing of the event and stressed the importance of maintaining food hygiene and safety.

The Hue Festival is a biennial event held in the former capital city. This year will see the participation of 68 art troupes from 38 countries and territories from Asia, Europe, America and Africa, said Ngo Hoa, head of the event's organising board.

The international friends will join 14 troupes from localities within the country in performing for the nine-day (April 12-20) event, Hoa said.

The event will include a summit of culture ministers from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Anh said this was an opportunity for everyone to enhance regional solidarity.

Organisers expect this year's festival to attract more visitors to the city and boost tourism development.

In the first quarter of the year, Hue received 650,662 visitors, an increase of 2.3 per cent over the same period last year.