The announcement was made by Tran Van Long, director of the provincial department of culture, sports and tourism, at a press briefing in Hanoi on March 10.

Mr Long said around 15,000 people are expected to take part in the event’s activities, including performances, exhibitions, traditional rituals, costume shows and folk games.

More than 1,000 people will perform a Xoe dance – a traditional dance of the Thai ethnic group – in hopes of setting a Vietnamese record.

A tour guide contest, a seminar on tourism development in the northwestern region and a trade fair will be held during the festival. At the fair, regional handicrafts, costumes and specialties will be showcased in 200-250 stands.

The festival aims to preserve the different cultural identities of ethnic groups and promote the potential for tourism in the northwestern region.

All costs related to hiring foreign experts will be paid by investors.

The photo exhibition is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to emphasise the spirit with which Vietnamese photographers are joining the drive to integrate the country into world culture.

The event will display 148 photos of 15 well-known artists from 13 countries and territories from all over Europe, South America and Asia. They all were bestowed the title of Master by the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP).

Half of the photos to be shown have won prizes in international competitions, the rest are new works. The photo exhibition will last until December 18, 2008.

Also, the organising board will hold a cultural exchange in Ha Long city, northern province of Quang Ninh, between Vietnamese and foreign photographers on December 12-13, 2008. The good chance will help Vietnamese artists learn experience from foreign ones and introduce the national images to the world’s community.

In addition, the foreign artists will have a talk with Vietnamese photography lovers on December 13, 2008 at the French Cultural Centre, L’Espace, on 24 Trang Tien Street, Hanoi.

According to the Director of the Culture, Sports and Tourism department of the northern mountainous Lao Cai province Tran Huu Son, the advancement was attributed to a campaign launched by the province from early October to the end of December.

Lao Cai province is preparing for a Fansipan climbing competition to open in Sa Pa town on Nov. 14. The competition expects to attract 300 climbers.

Fansipan is the highest peak in Indochina at 3,143 m. It is dubbed “the Roof of Indochina”. The mountain is to be approved as one of the very few ecotourist spots of Vietnam with 2,024 floral varieties and 327 faunal species.