The festival introduces Vietnamese culture to visitors through gastronomy, art and education. Photo: VOV

The Viet Up organisation has prepared the fourth year of Banana Fest – a multi-genre festival the aim of which is to give Czechs an idea of what the life of young Czech Vietnamese people is like.

The event attracted approximately 1,500 Czech people in Prague, the Czech Republic. Photo: Viet Up

Why did the organisers decide to call it Banana Fest? They see themselves as ‘bananas’, which is a colloquial name for the second generation of Vietnamese migrants living in the Czech Republic. Similar to bananas, young Vietnamese people are yellow from the outside (Asian looks) but white inside (European mentality). The phenomenon of ‘banana children’ is one of the most-discussed topics in the Vietnamese society. The main goal of the project is to present the Vietnamese society in the Czech Republic to the wide public in a fun and playful form.

The festival aimed to enhance mutual understanding and the development of the relations between the Czech and the Vietnamese societies. Photo: Viet Up

This year’s festival aims to broaden knowledge among Czech people and visitors about the establishment of development of the Vietnamese community within the Czech Republic as well as the efforts made by young Vietnamese people to integrate into the Central European country. It was implemented with the financial support of the Prague City Hall.

Several cultural stalls throughout the event have been set up to provide visitors with insights on Vietnamese culture and the community’s contributions to life in the Czech Republic.

A pavillion on career orientations for young people. Photo: VOV

Roman Kadlec, a Czech citizen, noted how impressed he was by the displays at the event, expressing hope that the festival will branch out to be held in different places across the European nation in the future.

Most notably, the event’s highlight was he food stalls that introduced visitors to a range of Vietnamese delicacies such as spring rolls and Pho.

In addition, there were also pavilions offering to help visitors gain a better understanding of Vietnam’s tourism industry, community-healthcare activities, and career orientations for young people.

In recent years, the Banan Fest has become a familiar event to Czech people in Prague. The festival is hosted by Viet Up - a non-profit organization which consists of young people, aiming to promote both Vietnamese culture and community-based activities in the Czech Republic./.

VNF/VOV