The number of events to be featured at the 2013 Sea Festival, which will run from June 8 to 11 in Nha Trang city, has dropped from 71 to 64 due to sponsor withdrawals.

According to Truong Dang Tuyen, head of Khanh Hoa province’s Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the events to be removed include painting exhibits and balloon and international kite flying competitions.

The reason is that several sponsors have recently withdrawn due to financial problems, Tuyen explained.

However, he reassured that despite the cuts, the festival’s overall content will remain virtually the same, as the organizers initially planned to hold a 60 plus-event fest.

The 2013 Sea Festival, themed “Nha Trang- The Sea rendezvous”, focuses on events accentuating the beauty of the Vietnamese seas, islands, and Khanh Hoa in particular.

The finale of the first Vietnam Sea Queen beauty pageant, set to take place at the 2-4 Square stage at 8pm on June 9, will be open for free.

The organizers also plan to host the 2013 Nha Trang-Vietnam International Sea and Island Tourism Fair, the first-ever international fair on sea and island tourism in Vietnam, from June 7 to 10, so that local and foreign tourist agencies can strengthen their business collaboration.