Hue Festival 2023 kicks off with re-enactment of Ban Soc ceremony

Hue Festival 2023, themed “Cultural Heritage with Integration and Development”, opened in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue on January 1. The festival will span across the whole year with over 50 major and about 100 response activities.

Highlight activities include a ceremony marking the 30th anniversary of UNESCO’s recognition of Complex of Hue Monuments as a World Cultural Heritage, the 20th anniversary of Nha Nhac (Vietnam Court Music) as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and Hue Traditional Craft Festival.

Opening the festival was the re-enactment of Ban Soc ceremony by the Hue Monuments Conservation Centre. It was the celebration to officially issue the calendar under the Nguyen Dynasty, held periodically at the end of the lunar year.

Because the ancient Vietnamese people heavily relied on agricultural economy, the calendar was of immense significance as it helped the farmers keep track of time for farming activities and beware of weather changes to adapt to disasters and extreme weather conditions.

 Nguyen Thanh Binh, Permanent Deputy Chairman of the Thua Thien Hue Provincial People's Committee shared that, Hue Festival 2023 continues to show the spirit of innovation and diversify types of festival organization associated with local products and tourism products.

Thereby, the festival contributes to introducing the cultural quintessence of Hue, promoting the destination of Hue Ancient Capital and building Thua Thien-Hue as a central province based on conservation to promote the value of the ancient heritage and Hue cultural identity in the spirit of the Politburo's Resolution 54.

On the occasion, leaders of the provincial authorities presented flowers and gifts to the first visitors to the complex.