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| Opening ceremony of the “ASEAN Colors” Cultural Friendship Festival at Thang Long Imperial Citadel. (Photo: Tuan Viet) |
The festival is held on the occasion of the 57th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN (August 8, 1967 - August 8, 2024), the 79th anniversary of the National Day of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2024), the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of the Capital (October 10, 1954 - October 10, 2024), and the 25th anniversary of Hanoi being recognized by UNESCO as a "City for Peace" (July 16, 1999 - July 16, 2024).
The event was organized by the Hanoi Union of Friendship Organizations in coordination with the Embassy of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (ASEAN Chair in 2024) and ASEAN countries.
Attending the opening ceremony were ambassadors and chargé d'affaires of ASEAN countries, Argentina, Mongolia, Algeria, Bangladesh, Iran, Pakistan, Morocco, Russian Federation, Belgium, Peru, India, Egypt, Switzerland, China, Cuba, Japan...
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| Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen delivered the opening speech at the "ASEAN Colors" Cultural Friendship Festival. (Photo: Tuan Viet) |
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen emphasized that friendly cooperation and regional connectivity within the ASEAN framework has always been one of the priorities in Vietnam's foreign policy of diversification and multilateralization.
Vietnam will do its utmost to contribute to building an increasingly cohesive and stronger ASEAN, and to making friendly and cooperative relations with member countries on bilateral and multilateral levels increasingly strong and effective.
The “ASEAN Colors” Cultural Friendship Festival is an opportunity for international friends working in Vietnam to meet and exchange friendship with the people of Hanoi.
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| Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Khamphao Ernthavanh speaks at the ceremony. (Photo: Tuan Viet) |
Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Khamphao Ernthavanh affirmed that 2024 not only marks the 57th anniversary of ASEAN's founding but is also an important year for Laos as it has the honor of assuming the role of ASEAN Chair for the third time.
Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh believes that with the strong support and cooperation of member states and external partners, Laos will successfully assume the role of ASEAN Chair 2024.
On this occasion, the Ambassador congratulated Vietnam for quickly overcoming the difficult period, restoring the material and spiritual life of the people, and developing the economy smoothly.
"With a foreign policy imbued with the "bamboo" identity, Vietnam has actively expanded and strengthened diplomatic relations on bilateral and multilateral levels. Vietnam's great achievements have contributed to enhancing Vietnam's role in the region and the world, contributing to peace, stability and prosperity," said Ambassador Khamphao Ernthavanh.
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| Art performances at the “ASEAN Colors” Cultural Friendship Festival. (Photo: Tuan Viet) |
At the program, many international delegates and people of Hanoi enjoyed special art performances such as: "Coconut Shell" dance (Cambodian Embassy), Mandolin performance of the song "Myanmar Land and Myanmar Mind" (Myanmar Embassy), "Chandsu-da" dance (Lao students)... In addition, performances of traditional costumes of ASEAN countries also made a strong impression on people attending the program.
The ASEAN Cultural Friendship Festival takes place from August 29 to September 1 at Thang Long Imperial Citadel with many activities such as: Photo exhibition, performance of Vietnamese traditional costumes through feudal periods, performance of Ao Dai and modern fashion, experiential space program...
According to information from the Organizing Committee, in addition to events such as the "ASEAN Cultural Colors" Exhibition and the "ASEAN Colors" Friendship Cultural Exchange, the Festival also has an "ASEAN Colors" experience space including 57 creative booths of Vietnam and ASEAN, souvenirs for young people and families (children drawing, coloring, building legos, making figurines, papier-mâché masks, bamboo dragonflies, making kites, etc.), traditional products of various countries on consumption and fashion; 70 "Street Flavor" booths simulating the old streets, arranging cyclos, jingling trains, flower-carrying bicycles, and food booths; 79 "Village Flavor" booths with content on cultural diplomacy, economic exchange and regional agricultural products, etc.
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| Delegates take souvenir photos. (Photo: Tuan Viet) |
Through cultural and artistic exchanges and photo exhibitions, the image, country, people and cultural identity of ASEAN member countries will be promoted to the Vietnamese people and international friends. At the same time, the event aims to arouse the aspiration to build and develop Hanoi as “Cultural - Civilized - Modern”; expressing and spreading the friendship, love of peace and pride of the people of the capital.
This is also an opportunity for ASEAN countries and businesses in the bloc to introduce handicrafts and traditional products to exchange, learn and cooperate for mutual development.
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| Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai, President of the Hanoi Esperanto Association. (Photo: Tuan Viet) |
Sharing with The World and Vietnam Newspaper , President of the Hanoi Esperanto Association Nguyen Thi Phuong Mai said she felt extremely excited to attend the Festival. She said: "This is a great opportunity for us to promote the image, country and people of Vietnam to international friends. At the same time, Vietnam will also have the opportunity to approach and exchange cultures with different countries around the world."
The President of the Hanoi Esperanto Association also said that she was very confident and proud to wear the traditional Vietnamese ao dai, especially one with the red flag with a yellow star printed on it. For her, the ao dai is not simply a costume, but it also represents the beauty of Vietnamese women as well as the unique culture of the country. She also wants to spread the love of the Fatherland to all Vietnamese people as well as international friends.
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