Second Covid-19 wave dampens Vietnam’s festive spirit

Many cultural and tourism festivals across Vietnam have been postponed or canceled as the country grapples with a new wave of domestic coronavirus infections.

Hoang Van Tuyen, chairman of the Lao Cai Province Tourism Association, said both the Y Ty Autumn and Ethnic Culture and Sports festivals in Bat Xat District on August 15 – 16 would be suspended to contain the Covid-19.

The Sa Pa Rose and Wine Festival, planned for August 21-23, will be delayed until October. If the pandemic turns more complicated, the annual Sa Pa Winter Festival in November will also be canceled, Tuyen said.

Sa Pa in Lao Cai Province is a top tourist attraction in northern Vietnam, which offers access to Mount Fansipan, « the roof of Indochina » at 3,143 m.

Authorities in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, Vietnam’s coffee growing hub, canceled the Buon Ma Thuoc coffee festival, scheduled to take place from March 9-16 in 2021.

The festival is a national event and is held every two years to promote the image of the Central Highlands as Vietnam’s « capital of coffee. »

Dak Lak has reported three domestic infections, all linked to Da Nang, Vietnam’s largest Covid-19 hotspot, since the first domestic case was recorded on July 25 after the country’s 99-day clean streak.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s southern metropolis, where eight domestic infections have been recorded since July 25, the seventh edition of the ao dai (traditional dress) festival, originally scheduled for March, will be moved online after two delays in April and July.

Nguyen Anh Hoa, deputy director of the city’s Tourism Department, said it is seeking expert opinions to organize a virtual festival instead. If everything goes well, it would take place in October.

The festival is one of the city’s leading tourism and cultural events, attracting a lot of local and foreign enthusiasts. The ao dai has for long been an icon of Vietnamese culture, praised for highlighting the graceful beauty of local women.

Vietnam has reported 905 Covid-19 cases so far, 464 of them active, and 20 dead. Of the 905, 428 are domestic infections recorded across 14 localities in Vietnam since July 25.

Provinces and cities like Khanh Hoa, home to Nha Trang beach town, HCMC and Hanoi closed bars and dance clubs as well as banned large gatherings.

By Nguyen Nam – VnExpress.net – August 13, 2020