Quang Nam Heritage Festival 2013 - A world cultural heritages connection
(QNO) - The first festival “Quang Nam - Heritage Itinerary” was organized in 2003. Up to this time, the 5th festival was approved and upgraded “Quang Nam Cultural Heritage Festival” by the Prime Minister. It will be officially held from 22 to 26 June 2013 in Hoi An ancient town, Tam Ky city and some districts.
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| Hoi An ancient town - a World Cultural Heritage. Photo: Hoang Ly |
Quang Nam - a province of the Central Viet Nam - has known as “the land of rich cultural tradition” and a converging place of Cham peoples’ cultural features as well. Especially, Quang Nam is also the land of “world natural and cultural heritage”. Among 63 provinces and cities over the country, there is no land which owning 3 world heritages like Quang Nam: Hoi An Ancient Town (recognized by UNESCO in 1999), My Son Sanctuary Site (recognized in 1999) and Cham Islands - the Globe Biosphere Reserve (recognized in 2009).
Hoi An is not as noisy, bustling and large as many other tourist cities. It’s not also a city of long building and developing history, but this ancient town has special cultural factors in house architecture, life style and its inhabitants. Maybe with those factors, Hoi An city has been chosen as the most interesting destination in Vietnam by international tourists. According to a announcement of Wanderlust - a famous tourist magazine of England on 31st January 2013 - Hoi An was “the Top tourist city of the world in 2012” among 976 cities in over the world had been voted by tourists and travelling companies with the voting rate of 97.18%.
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| A corner of Hoi An ancient town by night. Photo: Hoang Ly |
If Hoi An ancient town has many Chinese style old houses which were built in the 17th-19th century, the towers and temples of My Son Sanctuary are older. According to the many studies and researches, My Son Sanctuary was built in 1,000 years, from the 4th to the late 13th century and ended in the early 14th century. It consisted of 70 large and small temples and towers which were classified according to the typical architectural styles of each historical period of the Champa kingdom. Spending the thousands year under the impaction of nature, climate and war, many towers and temples were destroyed, only 20 of which remained.
With the efforts of the relevant authorities and agencies as well as international assistance, My Son Sanctuary Site is now under repair, recovery and preservation. My Son has been partly returned its original appearance. Visiting My Son Sanctuary Site to date, tourists may imagine the spectacular majesty of the ancient Champa Kingdom. With the outstanding cultural and historical values, My Son Sanctuary Site is a typical symbol of the cultural exchange and the integration of Hinduism cultural influences. It is also a typical and unique heritage of the Cham culture in South East Asia.
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| My Son Sanctuary Site. Photo: Hoang Ly |
Cham island (Tan Hiepisland commune, Hoi An city) consists of 8 small islets. It located around 18km far from Cua Dai beach to the East. In Cham Islands there are fishing villages, beautiful and tender beaches. Under the sea there are many cliffs, sparkling coral reefs together with hundred thousands of fish species, tropical marine species, creating fanciful gardens. In biodiversity, its florae and faunae are plentiful, especially precious salanganes living with many wild animals. With the outstanding values, Cham island was recognized as Globe Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2009. Cham island is one attractive tourist destination of Quang Nam province.
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| Cham islands - the Globe Biosphere Reserve. Photo: Thanh Dung |
The 5th Quang Nam Cultural Heritage Festival 2013 is coming near with many exciting cultural, sports and tourist activities. In which, “Vietnam-ASEAN Cultural Heritage Space”, “The 3rd Miss Ethnic Vietnam Pageant” and “the 3rd Vietnam-Hoi An Choir Competition” are three focus events.
The Vietnam-ASEAN Cultural Heritage Space performance will take place at the An Hoi Statue Garden beside Hoai River. Hoi An city will bring tourists to the specific and unique cultural regions of Vietnam and the cultural and natural heritages of the South East Asia. The opening ceremony will be held on 21 June and welcome visitors during the festival time.
This Heritage Festival will be a good chance for Quang Nam province in promoting and developing its culture and tourism as well as creating a significant thing: connecting and introducing the world heritages in Vietnam and South East Asia to the Vietnamese and international friends.
By DOAN HOANG