The Mekong-Japan Tourism and Culture Festival is aimed to promote Mekong Delta tourism and woo more visitors to the region, affirmed Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Chien Thang at a press briefing in Hanoi on October 26.
He said that the event is expected to create a new vitality for the Mekong Delta region, which is the Vietnam’s rice basket, but still has an underdeveloped economy, making tourism a top priority in the region’s development plan in the future. He reaffirmed that the festival will provide a prime opportunity to promote tourism in the Mekong Delta region in particular and in Vietnam in general.
The festival is scheduled to be held in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho from December 1 to 5, 2009 as part of the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year with the participation of 1,000 representatives from local and international travel organisations and countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Japan.
The opening ceremony of the festival will take place on the banks of the Hau River in Cai Khe Ward, Ninh Kieu District with the art performance of troupes from the six participating countries.
During the festival, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) will organize a seminar named “Sustainable tourism development in the Mekong Delta” to showcase its potentials in the fields of cultural and natural resources, the current state of infrastructure, human resources, and tourism products, as well as Mekong-Japan tourism cooperation and development.
Ministers of Culture and Tourism from participating countries will attend a conference under the theme “Mekong – a river connecting cultures” to link the region’s cultural assets with attracting Japanese tourism to promote sustainable development and prosperity.
Among the activities are a travel fair, a photo exhibition on Mekong-Japan Tourism and Culture, traditional art performances of Japan and the Mekong sub-regional countries, a volleyball competition, a traditional boat racing, don ca tai tu performance and a gastronomy festival as well as local tours for visitors.
The city will also host a march for poor and studious students in the Mekong sub-regional countries.
The festival is expected to contribute to the success of the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009. The government will spend VND8 billion of the total cost of VND10 billion (US$560,000) for the festival, and Can Tho City will spend the rest.
By the end of November, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will hold an international press conference in Hanoi to introduce the festival to foreign guests.
Vietnam Festival 