The Hanoi Dragon Dance Festival 2014 took place to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the capital city. With the participation of 25 teams from districts and counties across the city, it created an impressive performance for visitors.
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| The Hanoi Dragon Dance Festival took place on the afternoon of October 4th at the foot of the Ly Thai To monument (Hoan Kiem District – Hanoi). This year's festival featured 25 competing teams from various districts and communes throughout Hanoi. |
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| Dragon dance is a very difficult performing art, requiring many people to practice diligently to achieve synchronized movements as the dragon twists, leaps, and turns. A dragon dance requires at least 6 people, or even as many as 20 or 30 people simultaneously to skillfully control the dragon. |
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| A unique feature of dragon dance, different from the commonly seen lion dance, is the inclusion of the Phoenix and the mythical creature Loan. (These are mythical creatures from folk legends; Loan is the female and Phoenix is the male). |
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| Mr. Nguyen Van Bao (79 years old) is the oldest member of the My Duc District Dragon Dance Team. The youngest member this year is also over 55 years old. |
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| Each team has a maximum of 7 minutes to showcase their performance skills based on their chosen theme. |
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| A fire-breathing dragon spectacle thrilled the audience. |
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| These unique and impressive performances are only available to the people of Hanoi during major holidays. |
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| After the competition ended, each group paraded around Ho Guom Lake to continue serving the people. |
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| To deliver such elaborate and visually stunning performances, the teams had to spend months practicing beforehand. |
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| All of this created a joyful and lively atmosphere, like a street festival. |
According to Infonet
