Ninh Thuan Festival 2007: Integration, Development and Friendliness

 

The festival will be opened from May 31 till June 3, 2007 at Phan Rang - Thap Chan Town and several places of interest in Ninh Thuan Province. The festival will be performed on a wide space with various activities to highlight the images of the nature, people and typical culture of Ninh Thuan. Apart from on-stage performances on the opening day and the closing day, the province will organise diversified programmes and activities such as Nghinh Ong (whale-worshipping ceremony) ritual, Cau Ngu (prayer for good fish harvest) ritual, photo exhibition, cactus world show, Vietnam high quality goods trade fair, traditional and local product show, gastronomy contest and sheep contest. Sports activities and game shows will be also opened to vitalise the frenetic atmosphere of the festival.

 

Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Ninh Thuan Province People's Committee cum Chief of the Organising Committee for Ninh Thuan Festival 2007, said Ninh Thuan is very rich in tourism potential. However, Ninh Thuan is still unknown to domestic and international investors and visitors because it has not been invested in adequately. Therefore, we want to bring the image of Ninh Thuan to more people through this festival. We are calling investors into Ninh Thuan to wake up the potential of this land. With due investment, Ninh Thuan will become an attractive place to both domestic and international visitors.

 

To help visitors explore the beauty of Ninh Thuan, the Ninh Thuan Service of Trade and Tourism has cooperated with local and outside tourism companies to provide more tour options for visitors. Apart from tours within Ninh Thuan, the Service also promotes inter-provincial tours like Ninh Thuan – Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan – Da Lat, Lam Dong – Nha Trang and Khanh Hoa. As regards accommodation, Mr. Le Van Loi, Director of the Service of Trade and Tourism, said the province now has some 1,200 rooms capable of accommodating 2,500-3,000 visitors. Before the Ninh Thuan Festival 2007 takes place, the province will accomplish the construction of an additional 300 rooms, raising the accommodation capacity to 3,500-4,000 visitors. Saigon – Ninh Chu, Hoan Cau and Den Gion tourist sites are ideal beach destinations for visitors.

 

Ninh Thuan has two very famous traditional craft villages, namely My Nghiep traditional weaving village and Bau Truc pottery village. These two villages will be developed into traditional villages for tourism purposes. The province is investing in infrastructure systems and instructing local people to combine production and business with tourism. Currently, many tourism firms have joined hands with production bases in the two villages to welcome visitors to come here for sightseeing and shopping. Apart from these two villages, Ninh Thuan is also well-known for unique Cham architecture and culture. Three Cham towers of Hon Lai, Poklong Garai and Porome have been recognised as national relics. There are also many Cham rituals like Kate rite, dancing and music.

 

The Organising Committee is currently completing the construction of a website for the Ninh Thuan Festival 2007 to provide sufficient information for concerned people. The site may be activated in November 2006.

Song Phuong