A wide range of interesting cultural activities are taking place in Da Nang between 24 September and 5 October to coincide with the 5^th Asia Beach Games (ABG5). The intention is to advertise the city's image to domestic and foreign tourists.

An excerpt from a Tuong play

The Deputy Director of the city’s Cultural Centre, Mr Cao Tan Ngoc, said that his unit is responsible for organising ‘Bai Choi’ (singing while acting as playing cards) performances, and street parades of live music and dancing along a section of Tran Hung Dao street during ABG5.

He remarked “These activities are amongst the various fascinating cultural activities held periodically along both banks of the Han River.  However, my centre has made great efforts to make them more attractive in order to effectively introduce our local cultural identity to our international friends”.

In particular, the street parade on 1 October between 8pm and 9.30pm will introduce the ‘ao dai’ (Vietnamese traditional long dresses) and the ‘khan dong’ (turban), along with the costumes of ethnic groups in the northern mountainous areas, the highlands, and the southern region.  Also, the traditional costumes of the participating countries at ABG5 will be introduced.  During the event, many different genres of music are covered, including valse, tango, rumba and disco.

The Director of the Nguyen Hien Dinh Tuong Theatre, Mr Tran Ngoc Tuan, said ABG5 provides the city with a chance to introduce the city’s traditional arts, including Tuong (classic drama), to international friends.

He remarked that various excerpts from famous Tuong plays, performed by artistes from his theatre, will be performed at the eastern end of the Han River Bridge on 2 October between 7.30pm and 9.00pm.  Most notably, these Tuong excerpts will last longer than normal, and they will highlight Viet Nam’s historical values and praise the Vietnamese people for their patriotism.

In addition, visitors will be introduced to the Tuong mask drawing art and dress codes, and they will be given the opportunity to have their photos taken in Tuong costumes which are available for rent at reasonable prices.