Tourists have chance to view the golden rice fields by boat along the Ngô Đồng River in Ninh Bình Province. Photo courtesy of Ninh Bình Department of Tourism

HÀ NỘI — An annual Tourism Week will open today in the northern province of Ninh Bình with a diverse array of tourist and culture activities, encircled with a blaze of colour. 

With the theme The Golden Colour of Tam Cốc - Tràng An, the week aims to introduce and promote the unique, attractive features and outstanding values ​​of Ninh Bình Province's tourism resources and the value of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage Tràng An Scenic Landscape Complex. 

The opening ceremony will begin at 1.30pm at Hai Cave, at the Tam Cốc Bích Động tourism centre, with participation of representatives from Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, foreign delegations and the Việt Nam National Authority of Tourism and others. 

Seven kilometres from Ninh Binh’s city centre, Tam Cốc Bích Động is located in Ninh Hải Commune, Hoa Lư District. Tam Cốc means three caves, which are the Cả, Hai and Ba caves, with the serenely calm river of Ngô Đồng running through the mountains.

Tam Cốc is beautiful all year round, but perhaps it is most wonderful now, when the vibrant yellow of the ripening rice fields stretched along the river are at their most photogenic. 

This perfect time offers visitors a chance to view the golden fields from the water, travelling by boat, with the region's landscapes transformed, offering a picture-perfect backdrop.

Highlight of the week will be a music festival taking place on May 31 at Khê Cốc Island, Tràng An. This grand music stage will bring together an impressive list of renowned artists including Hà Anh Tuấn, Đen Vâu, Vũ Cát Tường, Phan Mạnh Quỳnh, R&B star Tlinh, Hoàng Dũng, Quang Hùng MasterD, along with rock band the Chillies and DJ 2pillz.

There will be other art on show, with water puppetry performances, chèo (traditional opera), xẩm (blind buskers' singing) and other folk songs of the North, South and central Việt Nam.

Visitors can enjoy displays of traditional handicrafts and a photographic exhibition of this golden season in Tam Cốc Bích Động, with 100 participants from across the nation, aiming to capture the very best of the local landscapes with their imagery. 

Samples of local cuisine, in competition for the best in show will be on offer for gourmets, while visitors will be able to peruse a whole array of traditional craft products, including embroidery from Ninh Bình's Văn Lâm, pieces from the Kim Sơn sedge weaving village and pottery from Bồ Bát, along with sumptuous silks from the craft villages from Lâm Đồng and Thái Bình. 

Cúc Phương National Park will host tree planting from May 29 to 31. 

According to the Ninh Binh Department of Tourism, the week is expected to welcome about 500,000 visitors, an increase of 75 per cent compared to 2024, including about 65,000 international guests. Revenue is estimated to reach over VNĐ800 billion (over US$30 million). VNS