The 2013 Khau Vai Love Market Festival and Culture-Tourism Week, whichopened on May 4 in Meo Vac district, the northern mountainous provinceof Ha Giang, expects to draw about 10,000 visitors.

The hundred-year-old festival, which is held annually in the thirdlunar month, is a popular meeting place for ethnic groups in thelocality, particularly those in love. Legend has it that a couple whovery much loved each other but could not live together made the promiseto meet once every year in Khau Vai on the 27th of the third lunarmonth. From then on, the festival has been held every year on this dayfor ex-lovers to meet and share their feelings.

The event has now become a tourist attraction, drawing in visitors from across the country and foreigners as well.

This year’s festival, held together with a culture-tourism week, isscheduled to last through May 6, and features a wide variety of culturalactivities and performances.

They include a showof traditional costumes of the ethnic groups living in the province, ahorse race, and a re-enactment of the rain worshipping ritual of the LoLo ethnic minority people.

There are also severalcontests such as the banh day (round rice cake) making contest of theNung ethnic group and linen weaving competition of the Mong ethnicminority people.-VNA