NINH BÌNH -- Following the success of Tràng An Heritage Connection Festival - Ninh Bình in 2022, Ninh Bình Province organised the Ninh Bình - Tràng An Festival 2023 to continue to promote cultural exchange activities and honour cultural heritage values.

Through these, Ninh Bình aims to build its annual festival brand, attracting and expanding cultural exchange activities in the region.

On the evening of December 26, at Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex (Hoa Lư district) - a UNESCO-recognised world cultural and natural heritage, the People's Committee of Ninh Bình province hosted the Opening Ceremony of Ninh Bình - Tràng An Festival 2023 with the title "Colours of heritage convergence and spreading."

This is a significant cultural activity, affirming Ninh Bình's efforts and capacity in hosting large-scale cultural events. The colourful picture of the cultural heritage of regions throughout the country is reflected through the space of "strange mountains, pristine water, fairy caves" of Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex with unique real-life performance art.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice President Võ Thị Ánh Xuân highlighted the significance of the event, saying that it helps connect heritage sites and inter-regional tourist centres and promote cultural exchange activities, thus upholding the value of heritage in the socio-economic development of localities and regions.

Ninh Bình is a land with a rich cultural history, blessed with beautiful and unique landscapes by nature, and possesses a high concentration of relics and landscapes. In recent times, Ninh Bình has made outstanding progress to promote those values. From a purely agricultural, small-scale economic province, it has made a spectacular breakthrough, becoming a comprehensively developed province that excels in some fields such as tourism, the automobile industry, and agricultural product processing. The province's economic growth rate in 2023 will reach 7.27 per cent, higher than the national average.

According to the Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Phạm Quang Ngọc, Ninh Bình’s per capita income ranks 12th nationwide. Since 2022, it has balanced the budget and become one of the country's three modern automobile mechanical industry centres and a national and international tourism centre.

An exceptional musical performance at the Opening Ceremony. VNA/VNS Photo Đức Phương

Determining culture as the most critical resource and tourism as an outstanding strength, Ninh Bình has continuously invested in repairing, restoring, preserving and promoting the value of cultural heritage. The innovation in hosting this festival also shows the province's determination to promote the significant role of culture in local socio-economic development and contribute to the country's overall development.

In 2014, Trang, An Scenic Landscape Complex, was registered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage, the first dual heritage in Viet Nam and Southeast Asia, creating new opportunities and motivation for Ninh Binh to implement an exemplary model of harmonious combination between the heritage restoration and preservation and green growth and sustainable development.

The province associates economic growth with cultural and social development and ecological environment protection. It highlights the promotion of natural resources and cultural resources in the process of innovating growth models and restructuring economic industries.

The Vice President showed her belief that the Party Committee and people of the province will continue to fully tap local potential, unique values and advantages towards becoming a centrally run city by 2035, expressed her hope that the Festival will become a unique cultural brand of Ninh Bình and that the province will be one of the leading localities nationwide in developing the cultural industry.

The Ninh Bình – Tràng An Festival 2023 will last until December 31. VNS