Hozo was one of the most prominent festivals in HCM City in 2019. Photo courtesy of the organiser

HCM CITY — Unique art activities emphasising the beauty of HCM City will be implemented in the Lunar New Year 2022.

According to Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper, HCM City has carried out various social development projects after returning to the new normal and art projects are one of them.

Due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, many cultural and artistic activities had to be postponed even though all preparations had been completed.

HCM City Department of Culture and Sports has been flexible in adapting to the new situation and conducting many programmes in the form of livestream to connect artists and audiences from the convenience of their own homes.

As the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the city has been basically controlled, more cultural and artistic events are expected to resume.

In 2022, besides the composition campaign with the theme “Chung một niềm tin chiến thắng” (Winning belief), several plans to develop theatrical works towards to 47th anniversary of the southern liberation and national reunification will be carried out.

They include the HCM City International Music Festival, Academic Arts Festival “Autumn Melodies”, National Tuồng and Folk Opera Festival, ASEAN Music Festival, National Band Festival, International Circus Festival and National Puppetry Talents, among other activities.

Heritage activities to conserve and promote values of tangible and intangible culture will be a focus as well.

Relevant authorities have planned to propose Củ Chi Tunnels as one of the World Heritage Sites to UNESCO and stressed the importance of the media in effectively promoting activities of museums in HCM City.

The city will also implement plans to preserve and promote traditional costumes of ethnic people as well as plans to bring Đờn ca tài tử (Southern traditional music) to a broader audience.

With regards to the publishing industry, many old works will be republished with illustrating pictures and a new hardcover.

Notably, many publishers have plans to earn copyright to re-publish other classic literary works of Việt Nam and other countries.  

On a different note, the HCM International Music Festival (Hozo), which received positive feedback on its quality and professional organisation when first being held in 2019, had to be cancelled at the last minute due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the HCM City Light Music Center, organiser of the Hozo, the festival is likely to come back in 2022 as this serves as a “bright spot” in tourism and helps attract more visitors to the city. VNS