On the evening of October 10, the opening ceremony of the first World Cultural Festival in Hanoi took place at Thang Long Imperial Citadel.
Attending the event were Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly, wife of General Secretary To Lam; Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, member of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism ; Mr. Le Hai Binh, alternate member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr. Nguyen Manh Cuong, member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Jonathan Wallace Baker, Chief Representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Vietnam; Ms. Pham Thi Thanh Mai, Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People's Council; Mr. Saadi Salama, Ambassador of Palestine to Vietnam, Head of the Diplomatic Corps in Vietnam; Ms. Khamphao Ernthavanh, Ambassador of Laos to Vietnam, along with members of the Diplomatic Corps, artists and ambassadors of cultures from around the world.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and General Secretary To Lam's wife Ngo Phuong Ly attended the event. (Photo: Tran Huan) |
Speaking here, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh conveyed the respectful greetings, warm regards and best wishes of General Secretary To Lam and Party and State leaders to the delegates.
The Prime Minister expressed his thanks to the delegates and relevant parties for their great efforts in organizing the Festival, thereby bringing joy and cultural enjoyment to peoples around the world.
Noting that Vietnam is currently experiencing a natural disaster of "storm on storm, flood on flood", the Prime Minister sent his deepest condolences to localities and families suffering loss of life and property; and at the same time called for contributions, cooperation and sharing from compatriots nationwide and international friends for those who are being severely affected by natural disasters.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the event. (Photo: Tran Huan) |
Recalling President Ho Chi Minh's words at the first National Cultural Conference in 1946 that "Culture lights the way for the nation", Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the Party always attaches importance to cultural development, considering culture as an endogenous strength connecting people and economies.
Currently, Vietnam is continuing to concretize this cultural policy of the Communist Party of Vietnam to promote the development of cultural industry and entertainment industry, contributing to the internationalization of Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity and bringing world civilization into Vietnam.
The Prime Minister respectfully thanked Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly, wife of General Secretary To Lam, for her great idea of the World Cultural Festival; at the same time, he hoped that ministries, branches, localities and especially countries and international partners would continue to respond to the World Cultural Festival held annually in Vietnam.
Emphasizing the role of culture as the 'red thread' connecting people, countries and the world, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highly appreciated the program for its strong cultural identity, including the culture of sharing and helping each other with national love and compatriotism.
"We will continue to promote the role of culture as an endogenous strength, as well as a strength of international solidarity and connection, to share together in the face of natural disasters and the consequences of climate change," said the Prime Minister.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visits cultural booths of various countries at the Festival. (Photo: Tran Huan) |
At the Festival, UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam Jonathan Wallace Baker expressed his emotion when the event was held on the Capital Liberation Day (October 10) at Thang Long Imperial Citadel - a UNESCO-recognized world heritage site.
In particular, with UNESCO's deep sympathy and solidarity with the areas affected by natural disasters, Mr. Jonathan Wallace Baker sent his condolences to the families who lost their homes and loved ones.
“In these difficult times, culture reminds us of our roots – resilience, compassion and the ability to rebuild our lives together. With the theme ‘Joining hands with our fellow countrymen in flood-affected areas’, the Festival shows that culture not only celebrates beauty and creativity but also inspires compassion, recovery and solidarity,” he stressed.
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| UNESCO Representative in Vietnam Jonathan Wallace Baker speaks. (Photo: Tran Huan) |
On behalf of the UNESCO Office in Vietnam, Mr. Jonathan Wallace Baker congratulated the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hanoi People's Committee for realizing this inspiring initiative. He said that the Festival brings together artists, communities and countries to share traditional values and creative innovation, to listen to each other.
“Cultural differences do not divide us, but actually connect us. UNESCO is proud to accompany Vietnam on this meaningful journey. UNESCO’s cooperation in the Festival emphasizes that creativity and humanity always go hand in hand,” he said.
Each activity demonstrates UNESCO's shared commitment to Hanoi and to Vietnam: Putting culture at the heart of sustainable development, empowering communities and promoting creativity as a driver for inclusion and resilience."
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| General Secretary To Lam's wife, Ngo Phuong Ly, and delegates perform the five-color ceramic painting ceremony. (Photo: Phan Anh) |
The opening ceremony of the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi was held at the heritage center with the art program "Colors of Vietnam - Rhythms of the World".
The program is a cultural symphony of 48 countries participating in the Festival, through the participation of representatives of embassies and consulates in Hanoi.
Here, Bac Ninh folk songs, Hue royal court music, Southern amateur music, Mother Goddess worship, and Hanoi Xam have appeared on stage one after another with modern musical styles.
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| The program is a cultural symphony of 48 countries participating in the Festival. (Photo: Le An) |
Harmony with Vietnam is a performance of melodies and dances conveying traditional and modern messages from Laos, Japan, Pakistan, Romania, India, Mongolia... With the support of 3D mapping graphics, the stage of the program was lit up with cultural colors.
Another highlight of the opening night was Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and delegates performing a special ritual of painting five-color ceramic paintings.
Delegates from Vietnam and the diplomatic corps together poured 5 colors of sand into the Vietnamese ceramic vase. The 5 colors represent the five continents and the five elements, containing the cultural depth of folk art that has been built up over the years, creating values that last forever.
The opening night ended with the performance "We are the world" spreading the message of friendship, solidarity and peace.
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| The stage at Thang Long Imperial Citadel is filled with colorful cultures of various countries. (Photo: Le An) |
The first World Culture Festival in Hanoi is open to the public from 9am to 9pm on October 11 and 12. Highlights include a fashion show called "Heritage Footsteps," a 3D Mapping show, and film screenings with many cultural promotional videos at each country's booth. Within the framework of the event, there will be many rich activities such as: Hanoi World Culture Festival, Hanoi International Cuisine Program, film screenings, folk dance, fine arts, international costumes, Ao Dai Festival, Hanoi International Book Festival... On the "Cultural Road", visitors can visit booths from nearly 50 countries such as China, Korea, Japan, USA, Russia, France, Iran, Angola, Laos, Philippines... |
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thu-tuong-chinh-phu-pham-minh-chinh-van-hoa-la-soi-to-hong-ket-noi-con-nguoi-cac-quoc-gia-va-the-gioi-330586.html
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