Published:  00:00 Wednesday - December 24, 2008

A “street festival” will open on December 31 to promote the image of Hoi An city in central Quang Nam province.

The festival, the first of its kind in Hoi An, a world cultural heritage, will involve more than 300 local businesses and students, said the municipal People’s Committee deputy chairman, Nguyen Van Dung.

It will feature specific characteristics of people in the Northern, Central and Southern regions of Vietnam as well as cultures of Thailand, China, Japan, Australia and the Netherlands, he said.

“The festival’s message is that Vietnam wants be friend to all other countries”, Dung added.
During the event, a traditional art performance, a Merry Christmas ceremony, a cultural fair of ethnic groups and an exchange programme with foreigners will also be held to attract visitors.

Since early this year, the city has welcomed nearly 450,000 tourist arrivals, a year-on-year increase of 6 percent. Of the number, 320,000 were foreigners, up 7 percent over the same period last year.
Hoi An city was recognised as a world cultural heritage by UNESCO in 1999.