At a press conference on Monday it was announced that various exciting cultural events will take place in Quang Nam Province in 2017 with the aim of helping the locality attract 5 million visitors by the end of the year.  Included are the ‘Year of APEC Viet Nam 2017’ programme and ceremonies to celebrate the 20 years since the province’s establishment in 1997 and the 42^nd anniversary of the liberation of the province in 1975.

A previous Quang Nam Heritage Festival

Firstly, the Hoi An Light Festival will be held between 27 January and 8 February to welcome in Lunar New Year 2017.

Later in the year, the 6^th Quang Nam Heritage Festival, themed ‘Quang Nam - Heritage Connection Itinerary’, will take place in Hoi An and Tam Ky cities, and in the localities of Duy Xuyen, Dien Ban, Tay Giang, Phu Ninh, Tien Phuoc and Nam Tra My.  The opening ceremony will be held at 8.00pm on 9 June at Tam Ky City’s Tam Thanh beach, whilst the closing ceremony will be at 8.00pm on 14 June at Hoi An’s Hoai River Square.

Within the framework of this year’s festival, the 5^th Viet Nam International Choir Competition will take place from 7 - 11 June in Hoi An.  It will see the participation of around 1,500 choristers in 30 choirs from 15 countries and territories worldwide. 

In addition, the International Kite Festival will be held between 5 and 9 June on Tam Ky City’s Tam Thanh beach and Hoi An’s An Bang beach.  Visitors will be treated to impressive displays by around 300 traditional and modern kites, with participating kite fliers coming from 8 countries.

The highlight of the festival is a cultural exchange programme amongst worldwide heritage cities.  The programme will feature exhibitions, musical performances, and shows of UNESCO-recognised intangible world heritages.

During the festival, Hoi An City will be extra attractive for visitors from both home and abroad with the many cultural events being organised there.  Included are an international food festival, a world and Viet Nam silk festival, performances by apsara dances at My Son Sanctuary, an exhibition about Cham cultural heritages in the central region, and programmes about the beauty of Quang Nam Province’s highland areas in Tay Giang District, and the Ngoc Linh ginsengs in Tra My District.

Apart from the cultural and sporting activities, there will be a central region and highlands tourism forum, and a workshop on preserving and promoting the heritage values of ancient towns.

The Quang Nam and Da Nang authorities will jointly organise a ceremony to mark the 50^th founding anniversary of the Quang Da Special Zone at the former headquarters of the zone on the Hoa Tau Mountain in either May or July.