Exciting "Vietnam Friendship Cultural Road"

The 2023 "Vietnam - Korea Cultural Friendship Road" Festival officially opened on the evening of December 2 and lasted until the night of December 3 on Tran Van Lai Street, Hanoi, where many Korean people live and work in the capital.

Tưng bừng — Korean artists perform at the "Vietnam - Korea Cultural Friendship Road" festival 2023

31 years ago, on December 22, 1992, Vietnam and Korea officially established diplomatic relations. The Vietnam - Korea Cultural Friendship Road Festival 2023 organized by the Korean Association in Hanoi is a continuation of the jubilant festivals celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries taking place from 2022.

Mr. Nguyen Phu Binh, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, also the first Ambassador of Vietnam to Korea, expressed that the close relationship between Vietnam and Korea did not only start in 1992, but also existed 8 centuries ago, when Uncle Ly Long Tuong of the Ly Dynasty of Vietnam, due to domestic events, drifted with his family and entourage to Korea and was helped by the Korean Court, allowing them to reside, creating the Ly Hoa Son family of Vietnamese origin in Korea.

Along with the Lee Sang-seon clan that went to Korea before, for over 800 years, the descendants of the Lee Hwa-san clan have become part of the Korean nation but still look towards their homeland Vietnam. Their eternal wish came true when the two countries established diplomatic relations over 30 years ago.

"Today, here with us is Mr. Ly Xuong Can, the 32nd generation descendant of Ly Thai To and the 25th generation descendant of Uncle Ly Long Tuong. He is a person of mixed Vietnamese and Korean blood, born and raised in Korea, brought his family to live in Vietnam for 20 years, currently holds dual citizenship and has been appointed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as Vietnam Tourism Ambassador in Korea. To have a strong and close relationship between the two countries, there is an effective contribution from Ambassador Ly Xuong Can and all of us. With the most friendly and close feelings" - Mr. Nguyen Phu Binh said.

Consul General of the Korean Embassy, Mr. Park Jong Kyung, shared: "Korea has a proverb "The beginning is half the journey". Hopefully the festival will become a place of friendship, where people of Vietnam and Korea can have fun and enjoy together"

"Vietnam - Korea Cultural Friendship Road" 2023 has the participation of a large audience, along with hundreds of booths and businesses from Korea. The highlight of the festival is the performance from Vietnamese and Korean artists. The Cha-yeon Ka-rak So-ri Na-num group with traditional fusion music, the perfect harmonies of the Opera Pil-grim and Gu-rang Bul-su art teams or the performance of Vietnamese artists Hoang Ton and Liz Kim Cuong made the young people extremely excited.

On December 3, festival participants enjoyed performances such as magic, bubble art, Vietnamese-Korean busking stages, and random dance to K-Pop songs.