Khanh Hoa Province is grearing up the Nha Trang Sea Festival, which will run from June 6-12 with the theme Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) – Civilisation and Friendship.

A host of activities will mark the run up to the event, starting with a musical show on May 19 to commemorate the birthday of late President Ho Chi Minh.

During the rest of the month, other performances will be held to herald the fest, including a show by ethnic children in Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen and Ninh Thuan provinces. An official campaign to clean up local beaches and an exhibition of metalwork will also be held.

A grand fireworks display will announce the opening of the festival with musical performances sponsored by VinaCapital.

The seven-day programme includes 70 different events in culture, art, sports, economics and science.

Folk culture will also get a special mention, with the Cau Ngu festival (fish worshipping ceremony) and Cham performances.

There will also be coracle racing, a human chess contest, an exhibition of calligraphy, art kite launching and a sand sculpture contest.

Organisers are also intending to break several national records, including the largest folk orchestra in Viet Nam, the biggest wifi cafe at the seaside, the longest piece of embroidery work and the largest pho (noodle soup) bowl in Viet Nam.

This year’s festival will feature a broad range of culture, sports and tourism activities, including street festivals, exhibitions of books, photos and calligraphy, French film screening, art performances and water sports competitions.

The fest has drawn art troupes from France, Ukraine, Japan and South Korea. The organising board will also invite beauty queens from the 29 countries with the most beautiful bays in the world to attend the festival.
Other highlights include a national conference on urban planning, a beach football tournament, an international book fair and a joint Viet Nam-South Korea concert.

The province has now completed all necessary preparations for the event, the fourth of its kind so far, said Le Xuan Than, vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee and head of the organising board.
“The Nha Trang Sea Festival 2009 aims to attract more domestic and foreign tourists to the province,” he said.

Organisations and businesses both inside and outside Khanh Hoa have to date pledged to contribute almost VND10 billion (US$562,000) to support the festival.

The provincial trade and tourism department will give VND60 billion ($3.37 million).

Nha Trang is one of the most important tourist hubs of Viet Nam, thanks to its white beaches clear ocean water and year-roud mild temperatures.

The Sea Festival is held in Nha Trang city every two years. In 2007, around 250,000 tourists attended, according to the organising board.

Foreign visitors who are interested in the festivals can apply visa code or visa on arrival to Vietnam. Both types of visa are accepted.