According to the organising board, the light stage and the Halong carnival festival will be the spotlights of the Week of Halong Tourism 2011, which is expected to attract about 50,000 visitors, about 10% of visitors to Halong during a year.

The Week of Ha Long Tourism 2011, which will be held from April 29-May 2, will be the biggest ever, with a series of festivities in support of the superb bay’s bid for the New7Wonders title this year.

The event will cover a large range of festivities, from culture and arts, including a poetry night, to sports such as an international beach volleyball final round, culinary arts and an international trade fair.

The Halong carnival festival will entertain audiences with artistic performances, a parade and a public street party on the night of May 1 at the Bai Chay tourist site, with everything on a magnificent scale, said organisers.

The carnival has been designed to revive local cultural traditions such as the rituals of the Royal Citadel god procession at the famous Tra Co communal house in the northernmost township of Mong Cai and the Creator procession in the Yen Hung District. The organising board has also invited artistic troupes from China.

2011 is the decisive year for Halong in its bid for the New Wonder of Nature, which was launched by the New Open World organisation more than 10 years ago through the www.natural7wonders.com website.

Halong Bay has already been recognised as a World Natural Heritage site by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).