The capital city will soon begin counting down the days until the 1,000th anniversary of its founding in year 1010 with the name of Thang Long.

To help residents and visitors count, a giant digital clock will be put in place on January 13, said Pham Quang Long, director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Information.

Mr. Long announced the festival Khoanh Khac Thang Long-Hanoi (Thang Long-Hanoi’s Moment), a celebration of the start of the countdown to the anniversary of the capital’s establishment.

“The focus of the festival will be the opening of the count-down clock, marking 1,000 days until the grand ceremony to take place in 2010,” Long said.

The event, taking place at the heart of the capital near Hoan Kiem Lake, will include cultural activities and festivities such as the exhibition Memories of Old Hanoi.

In addition, a dragon dance and procession will take place at Ba Trieu Temple with more than 2,000 actors and local residents participating. The programme is directed by People’s Artist Le Hung from the Youth Theatre and scripted by writers Nguyen Khac Phuc.

Petro Vietnam Finance Company general director Tong Quoc Truong signed an agreement with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Information to be the main sponsor of the programme.

(Source: VNA)