A boat race at at the Hiền Lương - Bến Hải national special historical relic site. — Photo nhandan.vn

QUẢNG TRỊ  —  The central province of Quảng Trị is expediting its efforts to host the upcoming 2024 Festival for Peace, a national-scale event conceived and prepared since 2019, to send out the message of peace and remember the war martyrs, victims, and losses.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Hoàng Nam, who also is head of the first-ever festival’s organising board, said that this is the largest to be held in Quảng Trị so far.

He noted that the series of events coincides with the peak tourist season in July, thus anticipating a significant influx of visitors.

To date, most of the essential preparations have been completed.

Lê Minh Tuấn, Director of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, said Quảng Trị houses over 3,000 hotel rooms with around 5,000 beds. Work is underway to get local accommodation facilities and tourist attractions ready for this festival.

The event's highlight is an opening ceremony, featuring a special music show, at the Hiền Lương - Bến Hải national special historical relic site. Other activities include a cycling event on June 29 and 30, a cultural and culinary festival from July 12 to 14, as well as music and art exchanges on July 13, 19, 20, and 26.

The 17th Parallel along the Bến Hải River in Quảng Trị was the temporary boundary between North and South Việt Nam after the Geneva Accords were signed in July 1954. Given this, Quảng Trị was also the target of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of bombs during wartime. Hiền Lương Bridge spanning this river was a symbol of the aspiration for national reunification and also a demonstration of the spirit of connecting the values of the past, present, and future in this historical land.  —  VNA/VNS