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Colours overhead: Participants fly kites during the festival. — VNS Photo Truong Vi |
HA NOI — Thousands of visitors flocked to My Dinh Stadium to watch as kites soared across the capital's skyline at the Ha Noi Kite Festival. The event, which helped to celebrate the capital's millennium anniversary, wrapped up yesterday.
More than 124 kite flyers from the country's three regions, Vietnamese from abroad and foreigners participated in the event, said screenwriter Ngo Hong Tien from the Ha Noi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
"The participants didn't compete with each other, they weren't trying to fly their kites higher than others. At this festival, they perform together to show off their kites' beauty," he said. "That's the reason why the festival was named Ha Noi-Peaceful Sky."
The participants were divided into different groups. The group of northern participants flew traditional kites from the region and played flutes which mimicked the sound of the kite's flying. Participants from the central region performed with kites that were shaped like butterflies, dragons, birds and phoenixes. The southerners flew sophisticated kites that required dozens of people to pilot them.
Participants from foreign countries gathered in a group to fly modern kites. American and Singaporean artists flew kites that could perform acrobatics and fight with other kites. The kites were controlled with four strings and must be piloted by an experienced kite flyer, said Scott Weider from the US, who has flown kites for 20 years.
Weider and three Singaporeans co-operated in harmony as they flew kites together for the first time at the festival.
With respect to Viet Nam and the US's past conflicts, Weider said that he relished in the opportunity to visit and participate in the peaceful festival in Viet Nam.
Under the artist's skilful hands, four kites flew through the sky as if they were dancing to music and at other times looked as if they were fighting each other.
Nguyen Thanh Huyen, 20, and her friends had queued in front of the stadium since the early morning to attend the performance.
"I'm very eager to see it," she said, "we all love to fly kites and have done so since childhood."
Huyen said she likes sport kites that are flown by kite flyers from the HCM City-based Blue Sky Club.
"It's wonderful, the kites look like dancers and athletes in the sky," she said.
Vice director of Ha Noi's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Nguyen Khac Loi said this is an opportunity to introduce the refined hobby Vietnamese to the international community.
"Kites come from different regions and they represent those cultures," he said. — VNS