Folk culture has played a vital role for the success of Sa Pa Street
Festival 2013, according to the organising board of the festival.
More than 450 artists and actors including 300 students of Lao Cai
School of Culture Arts and Tourism were involved in folk dances and
games which fascinated thousands of tourists from Europe, America
and Asian countries at the event.
Visitors also enjoyed learning how to produce hand-made brocade, silver items or forging tools.
Director of provincial Culture, Sport and Tourism Department Tran Huu
Son said folk culture in the region is rich and diversified. As a matter
of fact, tapping it for tourism industry will contribute to provincial
economic development.
The northern mountainous province
of Lao Cai People’s Committee celebrated a grand ceremony to mark the
110th anniversary of Sa Pa tourism in Sa Pa town on November 2.
Sa Pa Street Festival 2013, which comprised many special activities
depicting local culture and the history of the town, has an important
meaning in raising public awareness and responsibility of preserving
cultural identity and natural sites of Sa Pa, creating more tourism
products and fueling the local socio-economic development.
With 162 hotels and hostels with total capacity of 2,500 rooms, the
town has welcomed millions of domestic and foreign visitors every year
and enjoyed an annual tourism earnings growth of 35-40 percent.
Located 38km from Lao Cai City, Sa Pa is 1,600m high above sea level,
with the average temperature of 15-18°C. The whole town is dominated by
the Hoang Lien Son mountain range which is famous with the Indochina’s
highest mountain of Fansipan at a height of 3,142 m above
sea level.
Discovered in 1903, Sa Pa has many
natural sites such as Ham Rong Mountain, Silver Waterfall, Rattan
Bridge, Bamboo Forest and Ta Phin Cave. It is home to six main ethnic
minority groups, including Kinh, Hmong, Dao, Tay, Day and Xa Pho with
various traditional festivals and unique cultural practices, especially
the Bac Ha market and Sa Pa love market.
Local
authorities said from October 31 to November 2 alone, Sa Pa received
about 40,000 visitors, helping Lao Cai province fulfill is set target of
welcoming 1 million tourist for 2013 two months earlier than planned.
According to the Lao Cai Department of Culture,
Sports and Tourism, the province has so far this year welcomed 960,000
visitors, a 13.9 percent rise over the same period last year, earning
over 1.927 billion VND.
The Northwestern part of Vietnam is one of the most interesting and beautiful areas of South East Asia.-VNA