The 31st National Television Festival opened at the Trung Vuong Theater in Da Nang City on Sunday.

The opening ceremony was broadcast live on VTV1 and VTV Da Nang Channels at 8 p.m.

Over 600 entries by nearly 100 television producers will compete in eight categories of the festival, which will close on December 21.

The categories are: children’s shows, documentaries and reportage, short reportage, science and educational programs, dialogues and talks, ethnic language programs, music programs and TV serials.

A Lao Dong newspaper report Sunday cited the organizers as saying that, like the 17th Vietnam National Film Festival that wrapped up in Phu Yen Province on December 17, entries are produced by both state-owned and private studios, a new feature of this year’s festival.

The annual event, which aims to provide local TV workers an opportunity to exchange and improve their skills, will also include an exhibition of television equipment and a photography exhibition on the television sector.