Cultural insight: Artists perform a traditional dance of the Cham people yesterday at the Viet Nam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts Ha Noi. It was one of activities to kick off the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta Culture and Tourism Week in the capital city. — VNS Photo Truong Vi

HA NOI (VNS)  — Images, destinations, tourism potential and the special delights of the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta provinces are on display in Ha Noi.

The exhibition is among the activities of the ongoing Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta Culture and Tourism Week at the Viet Nam Exhibition Centre for Culture and Arts (No 2 Hoa Lu Street).

In response to the National Tourism Year held in Kien Giang Province next year, Viet Nam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in co-operation with the Mekong Delta's localities and People's Committee of Ha Noi organised the event.

The cultural week was officially opened yesterday with an art performance featuring traditional singing and dancing originating from the Mekong Delta provinces.

It aims to promote tourism potentials, honour the delta's typical cultural values, contribute to investment attraction and socio-economic development of localities in the region.

This is also an opportunity for localities to strengthen co-operation and experience exchanges with the organisations of culture and tourism.

This event attracts visitors with a variety of activities such as the exhibition "Colours of Culture and Tourism of the Mekong Delta" with a display area for the cultural space of the region (agricultural tools, living supplies, boats, clothes, musical instruments) and an area introducing cultural identity, historical relics, landscapes, heritage sites of localities through photos, artifacts, art models and traditional art performances.

In the framework of the event, there are also other attractive activities including a food festival and a workshop on "Preserving Cultural Heritage and Tourism of the Mekong Delta".

Next year, various cultural, tourism and sports activities will be held to promote tourism in Phu Quoc (Kien Giang Province) and Mekong Delta provinces.

New tours will be kicked off such as Three Nations – One Destination connecting Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia, Ha Tien-Kep (Cambodia) and Phu Quoc-Singapore.

Kien Giang receives approximately three million tourists every year, according to Tran Chi Dung, director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

It's expected that the National Tourism Year event would help the number of tourists increase 20 per cent next year, he said. — VNS