The home of “Ha Long Bay on Land” and the ancient capital city of Hoa Lu will be celebrating its attractions with a week-long tourism festival kicking off on April 9.

The scenic province of Ninh Binh , located just over 100 km south of Hanoi , will soon come to life with trade fairs; handicraft, bonsai and antique exhibition; workshops; and even some friendly competition.

The festivities will begin with a grand opening ceremony at Ninh Binh Stadium, which will be broadcast live on Vietnam Television’s Channel 1. Then the festival will commence with a series of cultural events held at Hoa Lu, ’s capital during the Dinh and Ly dynasties, to celebrate its 1,040^th birthday. The cultural events will be followed by workshops on tourism and sports, a cooking competition and a beauty pageant,

 The province will also take this opportunity to break ground on two eco-tourism projects, Trang An tourism site and Bai Dinh Pagoda, which will join Tam Coc – Bich Dong Cave and Thung Nang as the province’s main tourism investments.

 Organizers aim to focus the festival on attracting attention to Trang An, which could become another “ Ha Long Bay on Land” thanks to its limestone crusted mountains and valleys interwoven with rivers. With Trang An only 4 km from Hoa Lu, recent investments could turn it into the province’s premier tourism site.

 Director of Ninh Binh’s Tourism Department Trinh Xuan Hong hopes the festival will act as a catalyst to accelerate the development of the local tourism industry, which has yet to realize its potential.

 According to the department’s research, total tourism revenues remain low, despite the increasing number of visitors. The province’s poorly equipped hotels, lack of entertainment venues and low-quality services lead tourists to leave before emptying their pockets.

“This festival provides us with a chance to create more publicity for NInh Binh tourism in both domestic and international markets,” Hong says