US Ambassador and Consuls General Promote Community Connections in Vietnam

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper, Dutch Consul General Daniel Stork and Canadian Consul General Annie Dubé shared their desire to connect communities in Vietnam through the BridgeFest 2023 festival on Nguyen Hue walking street.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper (center), Canadian Consul General Annie Dubé (second from right) and Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tran Nhat Hoang at BridgeFest 2023 on the evening of December 9 - Photo: NGHI VU

"With all our efforts, we are very proud to be a part of the event. We will continue to support and ensure that BridgeFest will always be an important occasion for us to promote diversity and connect many communities in Vietnam," US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper shared with Tuoi Tre Online. The BridgeFest 2023 music festival - connecting the community was held on Nguyen Hue walking street, attracting the participation of many booths from 38 social organizations and many musical performances from prominent artists in Vietnam as well as internationally. Mr. Tran Nhat Hoang - Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism - said: "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism always wants to see more quality and free art programs for everyone, along with humane messages, encouraging social responsibility, sharing love, so that no one is left behind". Emphasizing the importance of human values ​​in society and environmental sustainability, BridgeFest 2023 chose the theme "Working together towards a human economy". Speaking about the festival theme, Dutch Consul General Daniel Stork emphasized BridgeFest 2023's goal of promoting diversity in society.

"To build a humane economy, we need all different components to participate in this economy. A good workplace will have the diversity of men, women and all individuals with different sexual orientations, along with people of different ethnicities and ages," said Mr. Stork. BridgeFest hopes to inspire the public, especially young audiences and subjects in many different areas of society, to join hands to create a future that puts people and the Earth at the center of the development process. "BridgeFest is a harmony between music and social meaning, thereby inspiring and empowering the next generation," Mr. Knapper emphasized. According to Canadian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Annie Dubé, Canada is also proud to accompany social organizations that the country is interested in promoting such as gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, environmental protection and climate change adaptation. “Civil society plays a key role in promoting progressive, inclusive, healthy and resilient societies,” said Dubé.

BridgeFest is an annual music festival - community connection, attracting many famous artists, young audiences and social organizations, honoring efforts to contribute to promoting social equality. BridgeFest 2023 is organized by the US Diplomatic Mission, the Swiss Embassy, ​​Oxfam in Vietnam, the Canadian Diplomatic Mission and the Netherlands Diplomatic Mission in Vietnam, in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Tuoitre.vn