The International Dance Festival 2017 kicked off in the northern province of Ninh Binh on September 16, drawing the participation of about 300 domestic and foreign artists.

The festival gathered
about 15 dance troupes from 14 countries, including Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar,
the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Colombia, Singapore, Egypt, Japan,
Indonesia, China, Bangladesh, Russia, Malaysia and host Vietnam.
The artists will stage dances lasting from 20 to 40 minutes that
will be judged on artistic merit.
As many as 200 artists from nine Vietnamese troupes participated
in the event. They were from the Vietnam Dance College, Vietnam National Ballet
and Opera, Military Culture and Arts College, southern-based Sao Bien Folk
Dance and Sing Theatre and provincial troupes from Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Hoa
Binh, Son La and Tuyen Quang.
The festival was designed to bolster Vietnam’s culture and art
cooperation with other countries, offering a chance to promote the country’s
images, people and culture to international friends.
It was also viewed as an opportunity for Vietnamese dancers to meet
and learn from experiences of other artists. The festival will run until
September 22.
Source: VOV
Hoa Binh province has carried out multiple programmes and initiatives to revive its cultural heritage which has gradually fallen into oblivion through the ebbs and flows of history.
The most prominent and defining feature in the prehistoric era of Hoa Binh is the Hoa Binh Culture. The Culture was first discovered in Hoa Binh. The significant prehistoric culture represents not only Vietnam but also Southeast Asia and southern China. Through excavations of cave sites in the limestone regions of Hoa Binh, French archaeologist M. Colani introduced the world to a "Stone Age in Hoa Binh province – Northern Vietnam" in 1927. On January 30, 1932, the First Congress of Far Eastern Prehistorians, held in Hanoi, officially recognised the Hoa Binh Culture.
Known as the "Land of Epic History”, Hoa Binh province, the gateway to Vietnam’s northwest, boasts a strategic location and a unique cultural tapestry woven by its ethnic minority communities.
The People's Committee of Luong Son District recently held a ceremony to receive the certificate recognizing Sau Communal House in Thanh Cao Commune as a provincial-level historical and cultural site.
Recognising the importance of cultural heritage preservation in protecting and promoting the value system of Vietnamese culture, and serving socio-economic development in the new period, Party committees and local administrations in Hoa Binh province have identified it as a key task in the cultural development strategy. The province has been making efforts in mobilising resources, creating consensus among people and engaging ethnic communities in preserving and promoting cultural identity.
Hoa Binh province has captured growing attention both domestically and internationally for its distinctive cultural heritage and rich history. Most notably, it has been renowned for its famous Hoa Binh culture, considered the cradle of ancient Vietnamese civilisation. Looking ahead to significant milestones in 2025 and the 140th anniversary of province establishment in 2026, Hoa Binh Newspaper presents a comprehensive overview of the province's development across economic, social, cultural, tourism, and security domains.