Photo exhibition of traditional cultural and historical heritages at the Ninh Binh Provincial Sports Complex. Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Culture and Sports Tran Viet Phuong said the festival is an important cultural and tourism event, aiming to promote cultural exchange activities, heritage site values and tourism cooperation between the province and other localities as well as abroad. As the first festival that has ever been held by Ninh Binh province, it is also part of the activities to celebrate Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day (November 23), he added. The festival will see the participation of an art troupe from Udomxay province of Laos and about 70 beauty queens of the Miss Tourism World beauty pageant from around the world. They will perform at the opening ceremony and the street festival programme. It will also be attended by representatives and artists from 15 provinces and cities nationwide including Hanoi, Hai Phong, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh and Thanh Hoa. Some highlights of the festival include the opening ceremony Dinh Tien Hoang De Square on November 17, photo exhibition of traditional cultural and historical heritages at the Ninh Binh Provincial Sports Complex and the street festival programme at the Ninh Binh Provincial Gymnasium on November 18. Its closing ceremony will take place in Hoa Lu Ancient Capital on November 19. Director of the Ninh Binh Provincial Department of Culture and Sports Nguyen Manh Cuong said: "The opening ceremony will feature art performances honouring heritages nationwide, thereby highlighting the connection as well as expressing the identity of the localities. There are many heritages that are not properly preserved and are in danger of being lost, so we want to convey the message appealing for cooperation in preserving the heritages." He also expressed his hope that Trang An Heritage Connecting - Ninh Binh Festival will gradually become a brand to attract tourism, promote the cultures and heritages of Vietnam. Ninh Binh province is home to the Trang An Landscape Complex that was recognised by UNESCO as a Cultural and Natural World Heritage Site in 2014. In UNESCO's words, "Trang An is a resplendent complex of limestone karst peaks which are permeated with valleys, including submerged ones, and surrounded by steep, almost vertical cliffs," nestling on the southern shore of the Red River Delta. Archaeological traces of human activity dating back thousands of years have been found within the complex. The Trang An Complex boasts several nationally recognised sites like the Trang An ecotourism site and Hoa Lu, Vietnam's capital in the 10th and 11th centuries. The area also has many other temples, pagodas, paddy fields, villages and other sacred sites. It is home to around 500 flora species, 73 species of birds and 41 species of other animals and has a diverse ecosystem with unique geological characteristics.