Spanish and Vietnamese artists will be staging a theatrical extravaganza on October 2 to mark the millennium of Hanoi.

About 19 Spanish artists from Els Comediants and 18 members of the Circus Federation of Vietnam will be putting on a free show featuring music, acrobatics, dance and fireworks.

The show, entitled Festival of the Dragon, celebrates the legendary founding of Hanoi, and will combine local traditions with the Mediterranean culture of Els Comediants, said Spanish Ambassador to Vietnam Fernando Curcio.

The ambassador said he was honoured the Spanish embassy and Spanish community in Vietnam had been invited to help organise the show.

El Comedians was invited to take part in the capital\'s celebrations after the theatre group visited the country in April.

Nguyen Van Tinh, head of the International Co-operation Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, applauded the effort expended by the Spanish theatre group and the Spanish community in Vietnam to put on the show.

The one-hour performance will take place in the open space in front of My Dinh Stadium, where about 15,000 people are expected to attend.

Festival of Dragon is part of the official programme of celebrations for the Millennium of the City of Hanoi, whose principal acts will be held during the first half of October.

Although Els Comediants is generally considered to be a theatre group, it comprises actors, musicians and artists of all disciplines.

As well as theatre, the group is involved in design, recording songs, writing books, festival projects, film, costume design, educational materials and television series.

Els Comediants\' ethos is "the spirit of human existence". Since the theatre group was formed 33 years ago, it has travelled throughout the world and also performed in the closing ceremony of the Barcelona Olympics in 1992.

Els Comediants will arrive in Vietnam on September 27 when its artistes will begin practising with their Vietnamese counterparts.

The show will begin at 7.30pm.