The 2014 Hue Festival, which opened last Saturday and is going on until April 20, has appealed strongly to domestic and international tourists alike with a host of alluring artistic and cultural activities provided by troupes from Vietnam and 36 other countries.

The biennial festival, which debuted in 2000, boasts a wide variety of art, cultural and fashion shows and exhibits.

It is now running in the central city of Hue.

Art exhibits

French artist Sébastien Laval’s photo exhibit, which will take place until April 20 when the festival closes, is unique as 62 of his black-and-white photos of Vietnamese ethnic minority people are hung over Hue’s iconic Truong Tien Bridge.

Passengers thus have to slow down to look up at and admire the pictures.

“Photos in exhibits are usually hung in a way audiences can look at them easily. But in this exhibit, my intention is to put the pictures above the audiences’ eyes, so that they have to look up to them, which is indicative of a change in people’s attitudes towards ethnic people from oblivion to recognition and respect,” shared Laval.

The French artist spent eight years roaming and living together with ethnic communities throughout Vietnam to capture their daily moments.

Another exhibition, titled “Cross-Look,” featuring works by two amateur photographers and running in a newly-built hospital at 3 Ngo Quyen Street until April 30, offers festival goers unique views from French artist Dominique de Miscault and her Vietnamese counterpart Tran Quoc Hung on each other’s home countries.

The pair separately took photos of France and Vietnam during their visits to the countries, and captured the stunning sceneries and moments with their lenses, as “if we’re totally immersed in any place, we’ll find peace and satisfaction there,” Miscault said.

More art, music, fashion shows to come

An electro music fest, which features several world-leading DJs, artists and bands, will continue at An Dinh palace until April 19, while an “ao dai” (traditional Vietnamese gown) show, which is themed “The World in the Vietnamese Ao Dai,” is scheduled to take place at Ngo Mon Square at 8:30 pm on April 17.

The “ao dai” show will close with sparkling fireworks displays by famed French pyrotechnic expert Alain Hubert.

The shows will be broadcast live on national channels VTV1 and VTV4.

“The Heritage and Cultural Hues of East Asian and Latin American Countries,” a street art event, will be organized from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm on several Hue streets, such as Tran Hung Dao (April 15), Le Loi (April 17), and An Cuu (April 19).

Performances of haunting songs by renowned Vietnamese composer Trinh Cong Son are also taking place at Co Ha garden.

The performances will be given by veteran local singers and expat artists, including British man Lee Kirby who can sing Vietnamese songs.

The show, titled “Chut Thien Thu Con Mai” (Eternal), is slated to be put on from 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm on April 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18.

A calligraphy section held along Hue’s signature Huong River until April 19 boasts more than 200 artworks by artists from Hue and other cities and provinces.

Visitors will also be instructed to perform the art.

A kite competition, which attracts more than 180 elaborated kites in a wide variety of shapes, materials and colors, will also delight Hue Festival goers.

The competition “Vietnam Flying Wings,” which closes today at Hue Cultural Museum, includes works from different clubs across the country.

While Hue kites boast such shapes as dragons, turtles, gold fish, butterflies and eagles, those created by artisans in the northern Vietnamese province of Nam Dinh have flutes attached to them.

Southern Vietnamese artisans have brought to the festival kites in modern-looking shapes and rich colors.

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