HCM CITY — Southern provinces are preparing for cultural and tourism activities to serve local and international visitors during the upcoming holiday to mark the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and national reunification (April 30, 1975 – 2025).

The Cửu Long (Mekong) province of Vĩnh Long will host Culture, Sports and Tourism Week from April 26 to May 2.

Nguyễn Thị Quyên Thanh, Deputy Chairwoman of the province’s People’s Committee, said the festival will focus on promoting the province’s tourism products and potential, seeking cooperation with businesses and other provinces, and attracting investment.

More than 20 provinces in the region will participate in the event, showcasing their cuisine, specialities, tourism products and OCOP (one commune one product) products.

The event will be a display of 135 dishes and drinks made from thanh trà (mango plum). The artisans use it to make jam, syrup, cake and salad, or cook it with pork and beef.

Thanh trà is a specialty fruit of Vĩnh Long, having a sweet and lightly sour taste. It is mostly cultivated at Bình Minh Commune.

A carnival featuring music and dance performances by art troupes from the province and the region will be held.  

The province will launch numerous sports activities, including a marathon race, bicycle race, xuồng ba lá (a small wooden boat used to cross canals) race, and paragliding performances.

In particular, the organiser will open a tour for visitors to explore Mang Thít brick village, one of Vĩnh Long’s famous traditional craft villages.

Also known as the ‘kingdom of bricks’ in the region, the village had more than 2,000 kilns in the 1980s, exporting high-quality terracotta and pottery products to Europe, the US, South Korea, Japan, and other countries. However, the number of pottery manufacturers has decreased in recent years.

The province approved a project called “Contemporary Heritage of Mang Thít” to preserve 653 traditional kilns in Mang Thít District and encourage more than 360 households to keep handicrafts.

The opening ceremony of Vĩnh Long Culture, Sports and Tourism Week will be held on April 29 at Vĩnh Long City’s Square.

Meanwhile, the south-central province of Ninh Thuận will organise its Culture, Sports, Tourism and Cuisine Week in Phan Rang City from April 30 to May 4.

The opening ceremony will take place on the evening of April 30 and will feature traditional music and dance, a drone light show, and a fireworks display.

The festival will include a cuisine festival offering drinks from cactus and aloe vera, and special dishes from seafood, goat and lamb.  

A trade and tourism fair will also be set up.

Ninh Thuận will hold activities at traditional craft villages of Bàu Trúc pottery, Mỹ Nghiệp brocade weaving, and Thái An grapes to offer visitors an opportunity to learn about local craftsmanship.

The province will also launch sports activities such as a dragon boat race at Nại Lagoon in Ninh Hải District, a hot air balloon presentation, and a bicycle race.

The festival is expected to attract around 200,000 visitors. — VNS