Hot air balloon festival celebrates beauty of the ancient capital

Tràng An – Cúc Phương Hot Air Balloon Festival 2024 has opened in Ninh Bình Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Thùy Dung

HÀ NỘI — Visitors to Ninh Bình City in the northern province of Ninh Bình can view the ancient capital from above during the Tràng An – Cúc Phương Hot Air Balloon Festival that is taking place in the city's Tràng An Cultural Park.

According to Bùi Văn Mạnh, Director of the Ninh Bình Department of Tourism and the organiser of the festival, the event is part of a series of cultural and tourism activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Tràng An Landscape Complex's recognition by UNESCO as a World Cultural and Natural Heritage site.

He also added that the festival is expected to create a modern and distinctive atmosphere, diversify tourism services and attract a large number of domestic and international visitors.

Visitors will gain impressive and unforgettable experiences as they admire the majestic landscapes of the Tràng An World Cultural and Natural Heritage site and the ancient capital of Hoa Lư from above.

"The festival will help enhance the brand and image of the culture and people of Ninh Bình, promoting it as a tourist destination, and will help develop the province into a tourism hub and a destination for year-round festivals,” he noted.

Tràng An – Cúc Phương Hot Air Balloon Festival 2024 features 35 hot air balloons and paragliders, operated by foreign pilots and members of the Hanoi Paragliding Club.

Many other activities will take place during the festival, including hot air balloon light displays, artistic performances and exhibitions of regional specialties.

The festival features 35 hot air balloons and paragliders. — VNA/VNS Photo Thùy Dung

The festival will end on October 29.

One of the four core relic sites in the Tràng An Landscape Complex, Hoa Lư became the capital of Việt Nam’s first centralised feudal state when Đinh Bộ Lĩnh ascended to the throne, taking the name King Đinh Tiên Hoàng and naming the state Đại Cồ Việt in 968.

Although Hoa Lư was the capital of Đại Cồ Việt only for a relatively short 42-year period, it witnessed many significant events connected to the nation's fate. These include King Đinh Tiên Hoàng's defeat of various warlords to unite the country, the victory over invading Song troops from the north and the rise of the Early Lê Dynasty, followed by the Lý Dynasty, which then moved the capital to Hà Nội.

Hoa Lư was the capital for 12 years under the Đinh Dynasty (968-980), 29 years under the Early Lê Dynasty (980-1009) and the start of the Lý Dynasty (1009-1010). — VNS