Themed “Flying With Vietnam,” this year’s 5th International Kite Festival will be held from May 8-12 at the Southern coastal town of Vung Tau near Ho Chi Ming City. The five-day celebration will be participated in by artisans from 22 countries and territories including Europe, America, Asia and Australia. The event is headed by Tran Tuan Viet, Chairman of the Tourism Association of Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province.
There are four Vietnamese teams which will come from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Buon Me Thuot and will join the local teams from Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province. According to Quan Hang Cao, an international kite artisan and deputy head of the Organizing Board, the Vietnamese participants will showcase two aerodynamic kites designed with characters from the Vietnamese folklore. One is Chu teu, a common Vietnamese water puppet character, made ten meters long; and Co tien, which means fairy, at 12 meters in length.
Different activities are lined up for the event such as a freestyle kite performance, Rokkaku kite-flying competition and a kite-making course, among others. The opening ceremony will be held at Intourco Resort Hall, at Vung Tau, where the kite presentations and contests will follow. The following activities will also be performed at different venues in the province: Paradise Resort Golf Course; Vung Tau Tourism Market Area; and Bien Dong Resort. The other kite activities will be held at Ba Ria-Vung Tau Provincial Administrative Center area located at Truong Chinh Street, Phuoc Trug Ward, Ba Ria Town.
An ofdieu sao or flute kite performance by the Vietnamese-Canadian artisans is one highlight of the celebration that both participants and spectators will surely anticipate. But for kite enthusiasts in general, the International Kite Festival is something that is definitely worth looking forward to.
Photo by http://www.vietnamonline.com/event/vung-tau-to-host-southeast-kite-festival.html