Celebrating Vietnam, South Korea's Diplomatic Relations with Theater

A scene in "The Girl and the Motorcycle" (Photo: Tien Phong)

The Vietnam National Drama Theater and the Acsan Theater (Korea) performed the play "The Girl and the Motorcycle" on the evening of Dec. 18 to celebrate the 29th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The play was written by Lee San, a South Korean journalist who has lived and worked in Vietnam for more than 10 years, and directed by Merited Artist Lam Tung. The work demonstrates the struggle of Vietnamese young people. Each person has a dream, a burning desire, but they have to face the burden of failures, and traps that require mindfulness and mutual support.

Merited Artist Xuan Bac, Director of the Vietnam National Drama Theater (Photo: Tien Phong)

Merited Artist Xuan Bac, Director of the Vietnam National Drama Theater said: “The event serves as a solid premise for a series of activities towards the 30th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Korea."

Vietnam National Drama Theater is the leading theater of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. Therefore, besides the task of performing high-quality works, Xuan Bac said the theater should promote cultural exchanges with other countries.

He said that the theater had good relations with South Korea and had worked with Ly Xuong Can, decadent of Vietnam's Dynasty many years ago. Ly Xuong Can, who attended "The Girl and the Motorcycle" event, has been appointed as Vietnam Tourism Ambassador in Korea for the second consecutive term.

Park Nark Jong, director of the Acsan Theater (Photo: Tien Phong)

Park Nark Jong, director of the Acsan Theater (Korea), said that during the production of the play, the two sides discussed and learned from each other thanks to similarities in the two countries' cultures.

“In Korea, musicals are very popular and loved by the public. I still remember the 2019 show of "The Girl and the Motorcycle." The auditorium was full at that time, many audiences had to leave [because there was no free seat]. We hope the two theaters will keep on cooperating to produce works that attract greater interest from the public," he said.

Vietnamese and South Korean teams work together on the play. (Photo: Tien Phong)

Director Lam Tung said even though the script was written by a Korean, it could relate to Vietnamese people because the author understood Vietnamese culture. Two Korean artists participated in acting in 2019, however, due to the pandemic, they could not join the 2021 production.

Lam Tung is proud that the young actors all strive to sing opera and dance K-pop. They are the dynamic group that attracts young audiences to the play in the national tour.

A scene in "The Girl and the Motorcycle" (Photo: Tien Phong)

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