The Thang Long Royal Citadel Spring Festival 2009 officially opened in Hanoi on January 29, the fourth day of the Lunar New Year.

The opening ceremony began with a performance of Bai Bong, an ancient royal dance, followed by rituals performed by delegations from the city's various districts.

 During the 12-day festival, visitors may enjoy a host of outdoor activities highlighting the nation's culture, including rituals, exhibitions of handicraft products, pottery drawings and carved pictures, and martial arts performances.

The festival includes an exhibition of the culture of Doai county with more than 200 antiques representing different periods from the pre-history to the Dong Son culture.

Visitors will also have a chance to contemplate the eighth-century Thanh Mai Bell of 36-kg weight and 28-cm diameter with about 1,500 words carved on it, and images of popular pagodas and temples, and of village gates that are very familiar in the north of Vietnam.

The event is considered a rehearsal for the Thang Long-Hanoi's millennial anniversary celebrations in 2010.