BINH DINH – The central coastal city of Quy Nhon in Binh Dinh province will host the fourth international festival of traditional Vietnamese martial arts, starting from tomorrow until Saturday.

Nearly 1,200 foreign and local martial-arts teachers and practitioners from 30 countries and territories will attend the festival.

"The event aims to honour and preserve the nation's cultural values as well as promote Binh Dinh's attractions," said director of the province's centre for tourism promotion, Huynh Cao Nhat.

During the event, weapons and martial arts costumes from Viet Nam will be on show. They will focus on Tay Son, a martial art sect in Binh Dinh province.

Sightseeing tours to six well-known martial arts schools in Binh Dinh province will help visitors understand how martial arts have been upheld in Viet Nam.

The event will also feature other cultural programs, such as bai choi folksinging, a Miss Martial Arts Pageant, boat racing, and tuong or classical drama.

Binh Dinh province welcomed nearly 1.2 million tourists last year. Nearly 420.000 tourists flocked to the province in the first quarter of 2012.--VNS