Vietnam: My Village heads to France.

Section: General News - Parisians will experience a taste of rural life in Vietnam as a group of new circus performers stage a special show at venues across Europe. Vuong Bach Lien gets a front row seat.

A cock crows, the night melts away, a new day has come. Villagers wake up, clean their houses, and maintain their yards. Some go to the pond to catch fish, others work in the fields while children play nhay day (skipping rope) and choi chuyen and da cau (kicking a ball).

This peaceful image of life in a typical Vietnamese village is the first scene for audiences at the new circus Lang Toi (My Village) being staged by the Vietnam Circus Federation (VCF).

Most of the props used in the production, everything from the broom, conical hats, fish baskets, fishing rods, the balls and the musical instruments, are made of bamboo as a representation of Vietnamese culture.

With this originality, the new circus programme is expected to prove the talents of Vietnamese circus artists and present audiences with a glimpse of Vietnam's culture during a three-year tour abroad, starting in Paris on June 18.

Lang Toi will be staged by The Vietnam …