HA NOI  (VNS) — This year's Ha Noi Traditional Craft Village Tourism Festival will be held on Thursday at the Quan Ngua Sports Palace.

Under the theme Tinh Hoa Hoi Tu (Convergence of Quintessence), the four-day event will present nearly 400 booths with products from craft villages around Ha Noi and other localities across the nation.

"The event not only aims to honour and preserve traditional cultural, it is also an occasion to promote the exchange of culture between craft villages nationwide and abroad," said Mai Tien Dung, deputy director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Space at this year's festival will be divided into an exhibition of village craft, promotion areas for travel agencies and airlines, food stalls, folk games, and entertainment.

About 400 square metres will be set aside for folk games, including water puppetry, calligraphy and ca tru (ceremonial singing), human chess, rice cooking contests and kite flying performance.

The event provides an opportunity for hotels, accommodation and service providers in Ha Noi and neighbouring provinces to introduce their food delicacies cooked in traditional ways.

Visitors to the event will then have a chance to enjoy special dishes from Ha Noi and other localities.

In particular, they will be able to enjoy dishes from South Korea and from 15 other cultures.

Last year's event was attended by representatives from 139 trade villages in Ha Noi and provinces in the Red River Delta.

More information can be found at http://www.dulichlangnghe.com.vn.

The festival will end on Sunday at the Palace located at Van Cao Street, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi. — VNS