Leaders of the central coastal province of Thua Thien-Hue joined tens of thousands of locals and domestic and foreign tourists at the opening ceremony, which included a huge concert performance.

Provincial People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Xuan Ly said that the Hue festival this year, the fourth of its kind, is held under the theme "700 years of Thuan Hoa-Phu Xuan-Thua Thien-Hue, world cultural heritage, in the integration process and development."

The nine-day event will draw 22 art troupes and artists, musicians and sculptors from all parts of the country and 20 other nations, who bring different cultures to the festival.

Performances of the court music of Hue, representing Vietnam, as well as the court music of the Republic of Korea and Japan and the Gong culture, typical of Tay Nguyen in the Central Highlands region, are expected to make the festival more unique.

Ancient rituals will also be restored, with several festivities featuring a number of elephants and horses to draw thousands of people.