Under the inspiring theme "Joining Hands to Create a Peaceful World," the 2024 Festival for Peace started on the evening of July 6, on the southern bank of the Hien Luong-Ben Hai Special National Historical Site in Quang Tri province.

The festival, held for the first time in Quang Tri, promotes peace, burnishes the image of Vietnam and its people, and shows that Quang Tri is a cultural, peace-loving place that welcomes friends from all over the world, VOV reported.

"Peace" and "Love" messages in different languages.

The Festival for Peace marks the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Agreement on July 20, 1954, which ended the First Indochina War and restored peace in Indochina.

It also commemorates Vietnam’s War Invalids and Martyrs Day (July 27), and anticipates the 50th anniversary of national reunification (April 30, 2025).

The event encourages everyone to join hands to build a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable life for Vietnam. It’s also an occasion to pay tribute to fallen heroes, remember war victims, and promote the image of Quang Tri.

The opening of the 2024 Festival for Peace featured art performances designed to create emotional highlights.

The Festival for Peace, the largest of its kind to be held in Quang Tri, opens with a special music show at the Hien Luong-Ben Hai National Special Historical Relic site on July 6. Photo: Hoa Le

Attending the ceremony were Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan; Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long; Secretary of Quang Tri Provincial Party Committee Le Quang Tung; and representatives of central and local departments, ministries, and branches.

The festival will also include a Cycling Event for Peace on June 29 - 30, a cultural-cuisine festival from July 12 to 14, a music exchange called "Peace Melody" in Quang Tri province’s culture center on July 20, a Trinh Cong Son music night called "Song of Peace", and a "Wish for Peace" program featuring gratitude and memorial activities to pray for peace at the Quang Tri citadel and a floating lantern ceremony on the Thach Han River on July 26.

The first Festival for Peace in Quang Tri is expected to establish this central province as a destination for solidarity and friendship and boost provincial growth.

The national-scale event aims to send out a message of peace whilst commemorating war martyrs and victims. Photo: Hoa Le

The central coastal province of Quang Tri suffered heavy bombardment and loss of life during the war in Vietnam. It was one of the hardest-hit localities in Vietnam, where hundreds of thousands of soldiers and militia laid down their lives for peace that Quang Tri residents and all Vietnamese people yearned for.

Local people are now working to transform Quang Tri from a war-torn area into an icon of peace.

The light art performance is full of symbolic meaning about the desire for peace. Photo: Hoa Le

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