A performance at the opening ceremony (Photo: Nhandan)

The opening ceremony was attended by Vice President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh and Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam together with local officials, and a crowd of locals and domestic and foreign visitors.

In his opening remark, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Dac Tai said the event aims to uphold and preserve spiritual values and cultural identities of the locality.

It is hoped to help international friends understand more about the locality’s dynamic development as well as its efforts to enhance integration, friendship and cooperation with international friends, he stressed.

Meanwhile, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam called for more effort to make the coastal locality more attractive to both domestic and foreign tourists.

He also underlined the need to make it easy for investors and local people to join deeply in tourism development, turning tourism into a key economic sector of the locality, thus contributing to the nation’s rapid and sustainable development goal.

Covering 50 cultural, sport and tourist activities, along with science seminars, highlight of the event is a salangane nest festival, an international cuisine contest, and performances of folk games.

The event welcomed five international art troupes from Spain, France, the Republic of Korea, Australia and Russia, along those from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, central Thua Thien-Hue province, and the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu.

The biennial festival, slated for June 10-13, is expected to greet about 150,000 domestic and foreign tourists.

It is estimated to cost more than 28 billion VND (1.23 million USD), of which 17.3 billion VND (761,000 USD) will be funded by enterprises.