A place to connect cultures and spread friendship

(Chinhphu.vn) - With the goal of building an annual international cultural event brand, taking "Culture as the foundation - Art as the means", the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hanoi People's Committee on the days of Hanoi in autumn - the most beautiful and impressive season of the Capital to welcome international friends.

The first World Cultural Festival in Hanoi: Connecting cultures, spreading friendship. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Colorful space of 48 countries

The festival brings together 48 participating countries and territories, with 45 national cultural spaces, 34 international culinary booths and 23 domestic and foreign art troupes, bringing to the capital's residents and visitors rich and vivid experiences of different cultures around the world.

The activities are designed to be highly interactive, helping the public directly participate, experience and enjoy diverse art forms such as: performing arts, fashion shows, fine art and photography exhibitions, film screenings, international culinary festivals, book exhibitions, international folk song and dance festivals, etc.

At the opening ceremony of the first World Cultural Festival in Hanoi with the opening of the art program Vietnam Colors - World Rhythm, singer Tung Duong performed the song One Round of Vietnam. The representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, Bac Ninh Quan Ho folk songs, was brought to the stage of the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi. In addition, the intangible cultural heritage, Hue royal court music, was performed in combination with 3D Mapping...

Joining in the artistic performance atmosphere at the opening night were representatives of countries participating in the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi: the Lao Embassy Art Troupe performed the Kalor Phamuon dance; the Indian Embassy Art Troupe performed the Devi dance; and the Mongolian Embassy Art Troupe performed the Flying Eagle dance.

In particular, at the end of the art program, all domestic and international artists sang together the song We are the world. The song symbolizes solidarity among peoples around the world.

It is an honor when Vietnamese culture shines among international friends.

As one of the artists participating in the international exchange space, artist Phuong Hien - Hanoi Cheo Theater emotionally shared: "I work in traditional art so I am very honored to have international guests watch the performances of Vietnamese artists. When watching traditional arts, foreign guests feel very excited. I hope that the traditional art of the Vietnamese people will fly far and high so that everyone in the world has the opportunity to enjoy it."

Artist Phuong Hien's sharing is also the common pride of Vietnamese cultural and artistic workers, when the nation's heritage is introduced in an international space, both affirming identity and promoting exchange and new creativity.

Art performances at the program. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

At the festival, representatives of the Embassies expressed their honor to participate and appreciated the significance of the event for international cultural exchange.

Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam Luo Yaoguang said: "We are honored to represent the Chinese Embassy to participate in the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi 2025. This event promotes cooperation not only in the fields of culture and tourism but also extends to science and technology. Vietnam and China have many similarities in culture and humanity, and we hope that the two sides will have more opportunities to exchange, learn and cooperate in the future."

Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Urawadee Sriphiromya affirmed, "This festival is truly meaningful, helping Hanoi become a modern city, a place where many cultures intersect, while promoting understanding and connection between Vietnam and international friends, including Thailand." Photo: VGP/Minh Thu

From another perspective, Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Urawadee Sriphiromya affirmed: "This festival is truly meaningful, helping Hanoi become a modern city, a place where many cultures intersect, while promoting understanding and connection between Vietnam and international friends, including Thailand. Next year will mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and I believe that today's festival is part of a series of activities to celebrate that good relationship."

The Thai Ambassador to Vietnam also expressed his emotion when attending the event at Thang Long Imperial Citadel – Vietnam’s first World Cultural Heritage recognized by UNESCO, where the Thai Festival took place earlier this year.

From Hanoi – the city for peace – sending a message of global connection

Not only attracting diplomats and professional artists, the Festival also creates opportunities for young Vietnamese people to participate and demonstrate their spirit of integration.

Kim Tu, a member of the Muay Thai demonstration team, shared her feelings: "I feel honored to represent Vietnam in performing Muay Thai in this cultural exchange event. Through that, I realized the similarities between the traditional martial arts of Vietnam and Thailand - both born from the spirit of self-defense and protecting justice. Learning Muay Thai helps me understand more about Thai culture, and also helps me look deeper into myself, about resilience and discipline - common values ​​of Asian people."

That youthful, dynamic and open spirit is the new vitality and belief in the young generation - those who will continue the journey of spreading Vietnamese culture to the world.

Art performances and unique experiences from various countries. Photo: VGP/Minh Thu

The World Culture Festival in Hanoi is not only an occasion to celebrate cultural diversity, but also a place to connect hearts and compassion without borders.

Through music, art, cuisine, fashion and cultural stories, Vietnamese people and international friends have come together to share, understand and appreciate profound human values.

Artists, dance troupes, and art troupes from home and abroad – representatives of global cultural identity – have come together to create a gathering space where "art is not only for performance, but also for connecting and spreading love."

The success of the event lies not only in the scale of the organization or the number of participating countries, but also in the spirit of cooperation - sharing - creativity that each participant feels.

This is an important first step in the journey to build a brand of international cultural events for Vietnam, contributing to making Hanoi a center of regional and world cultural exchange in the coming years.

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