Thousands of domestic and foreign visitors and local people flocked to the Sa Pa district Cultural Centre to attend the opening ceremony of the 2009 Sa Pa Tourism and Culture Week.

Visitors were treated to a special performance given by artists from the provincial performance troupe and villages in the district. They also had the chance to enjoy folk games, including arnis, crossbow shooting and tug of war, and to take in the beauty of local flower varieties at a flower market fair.

On April 30, the Sa Pa Cloudy Festival began on Ham Rong Mountain, about 1,700m above sea level.

Organisers expect to receive 20,000 visitors to Sa Pa during the week-long event.

VietNamNet/VOV