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A cannon firing ceremony will be held at Vietnam’s first ever Sea Festival next week in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.
The Echo of the Sea ceremony will take place at Bach Dinh (White Mansion) vestige, built by the French in 1898 and is now one of the landmarks of provincial capital of Vung Tau, in the first and last day of the festival.
It is said to be the first ever in Vietnam and one of the most interesting event at the festival, which will be held on April 11-16.
There are now 19 old huge cannons remaining intact at Bach Dinh, which were used by the Nguyen dynasty soldiers to protect the southern coast.
The Weapons & Ammunition Institute of the Ministry of Defense, will be in charge of firing eight salvoes of cannon to mark the festival opening and the same salvoes on April 16 to wrap up the festival.
According to the scenario drafted by Dr. Dinh Van Hanh, the Echo of the Sea ceremony will last for 60 minutes and stage cannon firing traditional rituals.
The program will include three parts: excursing the set of cannons, introducing the history of cannons and most importantly, cannon firing.
Cannon firing is divided into three chapters: Aspiration (War-drum ceremony and other rituals prior to cannon firing), Echo (Opening fire) and Victory (Bestowing on cannons and artillery).
Cannon in ancient Vietnamese means “the god of war”. The commander who gives the order to open fire is called “Xuat Doi” (leader of cannon firing group); each firing group comprises around 10 members and 2 cannons.
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