HCM CITY — Artists from the Bong Sen Theatre in HCM City depicted the national flower, lotus, in all its glory through song and dance at the National Professional Music and Dance Festival in Dac Lac Province yesterday.

Chuyen Ke Ve Sen (Story of the Lotus) was the city's sole entry at the festival.

The artists evoked the flower's simple and pure beauty through dances.

Following their act, traditional melodies in the form of chamber music filled the theatre.

Meritorious artist Dang Hung, director of Bong Sen, said his artists had been practising hard for two months.

"The theatre hopes to play a part in preserving and promoting the nation's culture.

"But it requires using new methods of staging and performing traditional music to achieve the desired effect."-VNS