The International Lion, Dragon and Unicorn Dance Festival, the largest of its kind in Viet Nam so far, took place at the Sun World Da Nang Wonders from 30 August to 2 September with the participation of 24 Vietnamese and 6 international troupes from China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia.

In addition to the familiar categories, the highlight of this year's event was the performance on water, which was the first time to be performed in Viet Nam. The participating troupes performed on a large-scale water stage, with a row of 21 iron poles totalling 14m in length, standing 1.2 - 3m high each, on the west bank of the Han River on the campus of the Sun World Da Nang Wonders.

Let’s take a look at this interesting event to admire how wonderful the dancing performances are through amazing photos captured by our reporter Xuan Son.

The Da Nang-based Thien An troupe impressing the audience with their agile professional skill, dexterity, and stamina

Here is a jaw-dropping jump over the iron piles.

A view of a pole-climbing performance by a troupe from the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, showcasing different stunts atop the pillars

The highlight of this year's event was the performance on water.

The participating teams performed on a large-scale water stage, with 21 iron piles with a height of 1.2 - 3m each and a total length of 14m.

This was the first time this tough category to have been performed in Viet Nam.

To the powerful drumbeats, these high-pole lion dancers are usually skillful kung fu practitioners so as to afford the strength and skill needed for the performances.

Dancers enthralling the audience with their jaw-dropping stunts on the row of poles during a fierce yet graceful lion dance

Dancers have spent years on painstakingly practicing to master their strenuous skills, and none of them are unfamiliar with injuries during training. Each athlete needs flexibility, precision in each movement, courage and close coordination with peers.