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	Buddy Bears, the symbol of friendship

Three Buddy Bears weighing 10kg each. They are made from glass fiber reinforced plastic. Source: German Embassy in Vietnam

In 2020 Germany and Vietnam celebrate the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic relations. To mark this occasion, the German Embassy in Hanoi and the Vietnam Institute of Culture and Arts Studies (VICAS) launched the Buddy Bear Art Competition in spring 2020.

Artists were invited to present their impressions, ideas and visions on the manifold aspects of German-Vietnamese relations in the anniversary year by creating a Buddy Bear.

Out of 14 designspainted by big and little participants, a jury selected the designs of the artists Chu Thuy Quynh, Nguyen Xuan Lam and Phung Van Tue as winners. During the COVID-19 contact restrictions, the three artists designed the Buddy Bear blanks in their homes.

At a reception at the residence of German Ambassador in Vietnam Dr. Guido Hildner on November 6, the three winners of the art competition were each awarded a prize of VND 15 million in the presence of Germany alumni, artists, representatives of German and Vietnamese institutions and the Vietnam-German Friendship Association.

The three Buddy Bears can be viewed from November 16 in the exhibition hall of the VICAS Art Studio.

Three best ideas are selected of German Embassy ‘Buddy Bear’ design competition to mark 45 years of diplomatic relations.

The concept of Buddy Bears began in 2001 as a street art project in Berlin, which used the idea of a bear as Berlin’s heraldic animal to inspire inspire artists. The artists channeled this inspiration into unique designs symbolising the iconic Bear of Berlin. The outstretched arms of the standing Buddy Bear symbolize friendliness and optimism.

The "United Buddy Bears" were created in 2002. The exhibition of around 140 Buddy Bears designed by artists from member states of the United Nations promotes peaceful coexistence between people of all races, cultures and religions. Since their first exhibition in Berlin, over 40 million visitors have already admired the Buddy Bears.

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