The 5th Vung Tau International Kite Festival, which is running in southern Ba Ria – Vung Tau province until next Monday, attracts some 120 artisans from Vietnam and 29 other countries and boasts a host of alluring activities.

According to Phan Thanh Sang, deputy head of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this year’s kite festival, themed “Soar with Vietnam”, also boasts a wide range of activities, including teaching visitors how to make and maneuver kites and a competition in Japanese “rokkaku” kites (a traditional six-sided Japanese fighter kite which, traditionally, is made with bamboo spars and “washi” paper.)

Other highlights include activities in free-styled and artistic kite flying, and flying kites with flutes attached to them, and one-line kites with/without spars.

According to the organizer, other highlights include an aerodynamic kite which simulate two Vietnamese folk icons, “chu Teu” (a witty man in Vietnamese water puppetry) and a fairy; Belgian artisans’ kites which blend the conventional sparring and aerodynamic kites; and the 600-year-old traditional kites from Vu Thu village in northern Thai Binh country. 

The event, held on an annual basis, aims to better tap on the province’s cultural and tourism potentials and boost local businesses’ opportunities.