The logo of Huế Traditional Craft Festival 2021, which has been cancelled due to COVID-19. Photo courtesy of the festival organiser

THỪA THIÊN-HUẾ - The Huế Traditional Craft Festival 2021 has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the central city's People’s Committee has announced.

The ninth edition of the festival is now scheduled for the latter half of July if the pandemic is brought under control, the committee said.

This biennial event is slated to last for a month this year, up from about a week in previous editions.

The festival initially planned to run from the end of May to June 26, aims to honour craft villages and artisans who have made great contributions to not only the Vietnamese traditional craft but also tourism, cultural and economic development.

It also aims to stimulate summer tours with many cultural and entertainment activities, attracting tourists to the ancient city of Huế.

The festival is expected to include more than 40 art performances and gather hundred of artists, actors, and artisans.

It will feature a wide range of activities, such as a craft design contest, the Huế Culinary Festival, a sculpting camp, an áo dài (Việt Nam’s traditional dress) week, and a book exhibition.

The last edition was held from April 26 to May 2, 2019, with the theme 'The Quintessence of Vietnamese Traditional Crafts' and introduced a wide range of traditional craft products including embroidery, jewellery, wooden crafts, copper items, pottery, nón lá (conical leaf hat), calligraphy, kites, garment and textiles, lotus tea, and bamboo and rattan products.

The event was attended by about 350 artisans and artists from more than 60 craft villages of Thừa Thiên-Huế Province and other localities. It also attracted international delegations and representatives of many foreign cities and organisations from countries such as Japan, South Korea, China, Brazil, and Turkey. VNS

Huế Traditional Craft Festival 2021 is expected to gather more than 40 art performances and hundreds of artists, actors, and artisans. Photo vntravellive.com