Show «Dances of the World»

   More than a hundred women from every continent step onto an open-air stage by the sea in Nha Trang, each in the traditional dress of her own country and each with a dance to match. Every costume carries a story, and you can take in the whole run in one evening on Vietnam's south-central coast, on the country's National Day.

   «Dances of the World – Hello Vietnam, Hello World» is the artistic centrepiece of the 73rd Miss World final stage, which Khanh Hoa province hosts from 20 August to 5 September. The season's 111 contestants, each representing her own country or territory, are due to perform. This is the first time Vietnam has hosted Miss World, and the 73rd season is also the one that marks the pageant's 75th anniversary. When the programme was first announced in July it carried a different second title, «Vũ điệu trang phục văn hóa dân tộc thế giới» — the dances and national dress of the world's peoples, which is exactly what the evening is. Vietnam is represented this season by Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc (Lê Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc).

   The wider Khanh Hoa programme also includes:

• — a flag-raising ceremony, «Vinh quang Khánh Hòa - Việt Nam», and a meeting with navy personnel at the Gạc Ma memorial
• — a commemoration for fallen soldiers
• — scholarships for local schoolchildren and tributes to the Vietnamese Heroic Mothers
• — the talent and media rounds, «Người đẹp tài năng» and «Người đẹp truyền thông»
• — filming of promotional footage at Khanh Hoa's landmarks and heritage sites

   Because this is an outdoor show on the city's main seafront square, it is an easy night out for families with children, and it will reward anyone interested in textiles or folk dance — dozens of national traditions in a row rather than one at a time.

   The organiser is Sen Vàng (Công ty TNHH Quảng cáo Thương mại và Đào tạo Sen Vàng) of Ho Chi Minh City, working with the Khanh Hoa provincial People's Committee and its Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. At a planning meeting on 20 July, the province's standing vice-chairman, Nguyen Long Bien (Nguyễn Long Biên), asked the company to reconsider where the main stage stands on the square so that it matches the scale of an international event. Three days after this show, the same square hosts the grand final, with more than 10,500 spectators expected.

   Hoang Huu Nhat Nam (Hoàng Hữu Nhật Nam), general director of Sen Vàng, has said that bringing a pageant of this age and standing to Vietnam is meant to help international audiences understand the country better, and that Nha Trang and Khanh Hoa were chosen to stage most of the season's main events.

   Entry is free but wristband-only: from 27 August the organisers have been handing out 12,000 wristbands for the two evenings — this one and the pageant final on 5 September. Two pick-up points in Nha Trang: the tourist information office opposite 52 Trần Phú, and the second building of the provincial department of culture, sports and tourism at 6 Mê Linh. Each point releases three thousand wristbands per evening, and distribution runs until they are gone. Bring an ID document or use the VNeID app. The wristband is valid for the whole evening and admits you to the fanzone, the standing area by the stage; the exact start time has still not been announced.

   Further enquiries: [email protected]

   One square, one evening and more than a hundred cultures taking turns on stage — if you are on the coast that week, it is the show worth planning around.