Visitors to Hue this time were entertained by international music and art programmes every night and large-scale performances featuring Hue special cultural characteristics and historic events, such as the legend of the Huong river, and the enthronement of King Quang Trung in Ban Mountain.

On the closing day of the festival on June 11, nine Vietnamese Guinness records will be announced.

The records include a set of nine biggest bronze urns cast in 1837, nine largest bronze cannons made in the Gia Long Dynasty (1802-1820), the biggest and heaviest stone stele in King Tu Duc’s Tomb and the largest imperial boat.

Four other records are works made by Hue master artists for the Hue Festival, including 3,254 verses from the famous Kieu’s Story carved on 1,627 white cobblestones, a 15m-long picture made from cajeput bark and butterfly wings, and a 600sq.m stage depicting a Vietnamese village.

The “legend of the Huong River” programme which took place on a 6km river section from Bang Lang T-junction to Nghinh Luong Dinh yard is also expected to claim the “largest artistic programme on river” title.

The organisers expect that the total number of visitors to the event will be much higher than the 2006 level of 61,000.