According to Vu Hai Son, an official from the centre, provinces, would send examples of their intangible culture, which have been chosen as such by national or international judges.

For example, he said, Cao Bang artists will perform then, sli, luon (folk singing) of the Tay ethnic group and xoe (traditional dance) of the Thai group, Lao Cai artists will perform khen (the art of flute playing and dancing) of the Mong, and Hoa Binh will send a team of cong, chieng (gong) performers of the Muong.

The show will also display distinctive traditional festivals like the harvest worshipping ceremony of Yen Bai Province, the traditional festival of the red Dao ethnic group in Lao Cai, the Cau Ngu (fish worshipping ceremony) of Quang Nam Province and the Ka Te festival of the Cham ethnic group of Ninh Thuan Province.

At the representative festivals, three to five people will wear the traditional costumes of each ethnic group.

Thang Long cuisine will warm up the festival with pho (beef noodles), bun thang (chicken, pork and shrimp vermicelli soup) and banh day (sticky rice cakes), as well as showcasing the art of cutting decorative patterns from fruits.

An exhibition, titled Hanoi Now and Then, will contrast ancient Hanoi – with hundreds of pictures and models of the Thang Long Citadel, royal rooms and classrooms – with the modern capital, showing the area after its enlargement in August.

The Museum of Ethnology will hold the Cultural Identities of Vietnam’s Regions exhibition at the festival.

The most interesting of which, Son said, will be a collection of folk paintings, including Hang Trong, Kim Hoang and Dong Ho styles of painting, and paintings of the Tay, Nung, Dao and Cao Lan.

While the festival is taking place, musical performances will also be organized in front of the Hanoi Opera House, at Ba Kieu Temple in Hoan Kiem Lake, Thanh Tri District, and Ha Dong and Son Tay cities.

The free cultural festival is leading up to the celebration of the 1,000^th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi in 2010.