On this occasion, Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyen Minh Tam gave an interview to a reporter from VTV station in Laos about the achievements and proposed directions for the coming years.
PV: Dear Ambassador, over the years, what activities has the Vietnamese community in Laos done to preserve and maintain Vietnamese cultural values as well as to preserve and develop the Vietnamese language?
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Tam: Firstly, on preserving and maintaining Vietnamese cultural values. Every year, from the General Association of Vietnamese in Laos to the Association of Vietnamese in Lao localities, Vietnamese people maintain major cultural activities such as: organizing Lunar New Year, Hung Kings' Commemoration Day, offering incense at President Ho Chi Minh's relic site, performing arts and cuisine programs of the three regions... These activities, in addition to increasing the connection between the associations at all levels and the community, between the community members themselves, also contribute to arousing national pride, preserving, maintaining and promoting the fine cultural traditions of the Vietnamese people in the Vietnamese community and to Lao friends as well as communities of other countries in the area.
Currently, there are 15 Vietnamese pagodas in Laos. These are not only religious establishments that maintain the traditional beliefs of the Vietnamese people, but also places for gathering and organizing many religious and cultural activities for the people such as: Vu Lan Festival, Buddha's Birthday Festival, Peace Prayer Ceremony and many other community activities.
Mutual love and support activities, a fine tradition of the Vietnamese people, are also maintained by all levels of associations, Vietnamese pagodas and people such as: voluntary activities to raise funds to support Vietnamese and Lao people to overcome the consequences of natural disasters, giving gifts to people in difficult circumstances, building charity houses, renovating cemeteries, martyrs' shrines and social and educational activities, through which the spirit of "helping each other" has been strongly spread, consolidating the good image of the Vietnamese community of humanity, solidarity and responsibility in the area.
Second, on preserving and developing the Vietnamese language. Currently, across Laos there are 12 schools of the Vietnamese community and 12 Friendship schools built by the Vietnamese Government to support the Lao Government, including many schools that provide education from kindergarten to high school, such as the Nguyen Du Lao-Vietnamese Bilingual School in Vientiane or the Friendship School in Sa-van-na-khet province. These educational institutions play an important role in teaching Vietnamese to overseas Vietnamese children, helping them preserve their mother tongue, and at the same time being a bridge to foster the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.
Responding to the annual Vietnamese Language Honor Day on September 8 launched by the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese under the Government's Project, since 2023, the Embassy has coordinated with a number of associations and related units to establish the Vietnamese Language Committee of the Vietnamese Association in Vientiane, organized the Vietnamese Language Honor Ceremony; mobilized both Vietnamese and Lao candidates to participate in the "Vietnamese Language Ambassadors Abroad" Search Contest, with the results of 3 consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025), Laos has had candidates winning the highest prize.
A special highlight is the free Vietnamese class at Phat Tich Pagoda in Vientiane, organized by the Embassy in coordination with the Vientiane Vietnamese Association and Phat Tich Pagoda. The class has two levels: basic and advanced, using the Que Viet curriculum, and has attracted hundreds of Vietnamese and Lao people who love Vietnamese to study. In addition, since 2023, with the support of the Embassy, Phat Tich Pagoda has established and maintained a free Vietnamese bookshelf, where Vietnamese, Lao people and international visitors can access books and newspapers, contributing to spreading the Vietnamese language and culture.
It can be affirmed that, despite many difficulties, the Vietnamese community in Laos is still making strong efforts to preserve the Vietnamese language as the soul of the nation, to preserve Vietnamese culture through the school system, Vietnamese pagodas, festivals and traditional activities, spreading the image of Vietnamese people being united, benevolent and looking back to their roots. These rich, profound and organized activities not only contribute to strengthening the spiritual life of overseas Vietnamese, but also continue to foster the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos to become increasingly stronger.
PV: How are cultural exchange activities, traditional festivals and folk arts maintained in Laos?
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Tam: At the national level, cultural diplomacy activities are held annually by the Ministry of Culture of the two countries in coordination with the Embassy and the Vietnam Cultural Center in Laos, taking turns organizing the Vietnam Cultural Week in Laos and the Lao Cultural Week in Vietnam, gathering artisans and actors from the two countries, performing folk music and dances, displaying Ao Dai, unique calligraphy, introducing traditional music, displaying unique cultural products, which is an opportunity for Lao audiences and international friends to "better understand Vietnamese culture".
The Embassy also regularly invites domestic art troupes to Laos to perform circus, water puppetry, watch drama, film screenings, photo exhibitions, traditional art performances and promote Vietnamese culture, creating opportunities for the public of both countries to interact and understand more deeply about Vietnamese culture. These activities not only enrich the cultural life of the community but are also a vivid expression of "cultural identity" preserved and passed on to the younger generation.
The localities sharing the border between the two countries also regularly organize the Vietnam-Laos Border Cultural and Sports Exchange Festival with many rich cultural activities of the ethnic groups, contributing to honoring the traditional cultural values full of humanity of the provinces sharing the border between the two countries, so that the people of the two countries have the opportunity to access indigenous culture, thereby strengthening the friendship between the two countries.
The Vietnamese community in Laos is an important part, closely connected with the roots of Vietnamese culture, and has many activities to preserve traditional culture. The traditional beauties of the nation such as going to Buddha at the beginning of the year to pray for peace, Vu Lan festival, Mid-Autumn Festival... are actively preserved and promoted by overseas Vietnamese, both maintaining the beliefs of the nation and spreading the good customs of the Vietnamese people even though they are far from their homeland.
In addition to festivals with Vietnamese identity, the overseas Vietnamese community also actively participates in traditional Lao festivals, contributing to cultural exchanges between the two sides. In addition, Lao folk art forms such as Lamvong dance, Lao Khen music... are also indigenous cultural features that people of the two countries often exchange during festivals or events organized by both sides.
PV: What are the advantages, difficulties and challenges in preserving Vietnamese cultural values in Laos? What solutions are needed to better preserve and promote Vietnamese culture in Laos in the future?
Ambassador Nguyen Minh Tam: Regarding Laos, with the attention of senior leaders and ministries, the large Vietnamese community always looks towards the Fatherland. With the special nature of the relationship, the system of closely organized associations, being one of the few countries with a well-invested cultural center, resident press agencies in Laos operating effectively, along with the close ties between the two peoples, it is favorable to organize many cultural activities to nurture, preserve and promote the cultural beauty of Vietnamese people in Laos.
However, in the context of today's integration, Vietnamese culture is also facing many challenges. First of all, the cultures of some other countries are also being promoted in Laos through the activities of Institutes, cultural centers, language teaching programs, attracting young people and creating a trend of multicultural acceptance in Lao society. The explosion of the Internet and mass media also makes the young generation of Vietnamese in Laos attracted by famous bands, movies, and books in the world, which can lead to the risk of forgetting their mother tongue and forgetting traditional cultural features. Subjectively, resources for cultural activities have not been given due attention, in the context of other activities needing more priority.
Recognizing these difficulties and challenges, the Embassy, Consulates General, other representative agencies of Vietnam in Laos, Associations and the Vietnamese community in Laos, especially the permanent press agencies in Laos, including the Voice of Vietnam, need to pay more attention to propaganda to raise awareness of the value of culture, innovate the form and content of propaganda work as well as allocate more appropriate resources for community cultural activities. Above all, previous generations and each Vietnamese family in Laos need to maintain the good traditions of the nation such as rituals, customs, ancestor worship, organizing traditional New Year, cultural exchanges with Lao friends, maintaining the Vietnamese language in each family, thereby contributing to preserving the beautiful cultural traditions in each family, avoiding fading away.
PV: Thank you, Ambassador!
Source: https://baohungyen.vn/bao-ton-va-giu-gin-van-hoa-viet-nam-o-lao-3188399.html
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