Thousands have braved the rain and came to the historic town of Hoi An to enjoy
the opening of the first Viet Nam International Choir Festival.

Central attraction: Artists perform on the opening day of the first Viet Nam International Choir Festival in Hoi An. The five-day event gathers 37 choirs from 11 nations and territories. (Photo: VNS)

The five-day event has
drawn six choirs from Viet Nam and another 36 from Estonia, Malaysia, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, and will end with awards
presented for the best choirs on Sunday.

The festival is being
held with the support of Quang Nam provincial People’s Committee, the Hoi An
People’s Committee, and Germany’s Interkultur Foundation.

Interkultur Foundation
representative Thomas Schule said the festival would be a bridge to link
different cultures and nationalities. Visiting choruses were performing mostly
traditional songs to introduce the unique culture of each country and increase
the cultural exchange.

On the opening day on
Wednesday, a Vietnamese chorus sang Chieu Ve Hoi An (Afternoon in Hoi An) while
Swedish artists performed Silk Heart, which combined elements of dance with the
music of German composer J.Bach. Artists from around the world joined in a
performance of the traditional Vietnamese folk song Trong Com (Cylindrical
Drum).

Five stages have been
set up in Hoi An’s Old Quarter to bring artists and audiences closer together.
The floating stage in the Hoai River has been decorated with an image of Chua
Cau, otherwise known as the Japanese bridge, one of the most attractive tourist
destinations in Hoi An.

Artists and audiences
joined in a moment of silence for Japanese victims of the recent earthquake and
tsunami before the performance.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News