Where there are Vietnamese students, there will be t-shirts printed with the Vietnamese national flag, graceful ao dai, flavored with Vietnamese green tea and coffee, and many other cultural symbols. In Moscow, many young Vietnamese people are constantly spreading the beauty of Vietnamese culture to the international community.

Every April comes, Truong Yen Nhi and Vietnamese students at the Moscow Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) prepare the "Vietnamese Culture Day at MGIMO" program. This is a much-awaited event and has become a meeting place for cultural exchanges between Vietnamese, Russian, and international students, especially those who are studying Vietnamese in Russia.

The process of preparing to organize this program is usually started by Nhi and her friends about 1 to 2 months before the event. The program consists of 5 parts: seminars, fairs, and exhibitions, quizzes, art, and cuisine. As an annual event since 2015, the preparation, from ideation to content, exhibition organization, creating the guest list, and other activities are all carried out methodically by the Organizing Committee.

According to Nhi, the most difficult thing is how to keep the content fresh every year, introduce Vietnam's cultural diversity, and continue to bring the audience interesting and rewarding experiences.

Attending the seminar with the theme "Vietnam before the challenges of the 21st century: New perception of Vietnam - Russia relations" were many experts as well as Russian scholars. Representatives from the Russian Embassy in Vietnam, the Embassy of Vietnam in Russia, the Ministry of Economic Development of Russia, and research institutes also joined and provided in-depth discussions.

There were also attendants who are Russian students and Ph.D. students who are currently doing research on Vietnam.

The program of traditional Vietnamese martial arts has attracted a large audience of Vietnamese and Russian students. The program includes solo singing, duet, group singing, and dancing. There are many performances by Russian students as well.

Elizaveta Gimbut, the MGU student, performed a Vietnamese song to much acclaim.

“I have prepared very carefully for today's performance, and fortunately, it was well received by everyone. International students had a very enjoyable and useful exchange day and enjoyed delicious traditional Vietnamese dishes,” said Elizaveta.

Vietnamese Culture Day in Tyumen

In order to bring to the audience a special cultural program, the Arts Department contacted and invited students from many universities in Moscow and selected MCs for the concert (1 Vietnamese student and 1 Russian student who is studying Vietnamese). After that, the Arts Department and the Technical Department worked together to complete the performances.

In addition to Moscow, dozens of other events that introduce Vietnamese culture have been held throughout Russian universities, in every city with Vietnamese students. One of the most important events is the "International Food Day" of the Russian Economic University named after Plekhanov. There is also the Cultural Festival "Cult-Fest" of the Tyumen State University, and the "Friendship Zone" event of the National University of Voronezh".

These events give Russian audiences and other countries around the world the opportunity to enjoy the cultural beauty of Vietnam.

Le Van Khanh (3rd year Ph.D. student at St. Petersburg Polytechnic University), Secretary of the Youth Union of St. Petersburg stressed that the Union considers each Vietnamese youth studying abroad is their country's "cultural ambassador," in addition to the main purpose of political and ideological education for each Vietnamese student union member studying at St. Petersburg.

"We have made constant efforts and designed many meaningful activities for union members to have the opportunity to learn, educate, and exchange culture between Vietnam and Russia," said Khanh.

St. Petersburg actively participates, supports, and proposes to organize social activities together with the local authorities. The students supported the organization of seminars, exhibitions on culture and history organized by the city government, and voluntary activities such as public service and blood donation. Also, they visited an orphanage, donated clothes for the homeless, and held a Vietnamese Cultural Festival in St. Petersburg.

Vietnamese Culture Day at Moscow State Institute of International Relations

The city of Orenburg is located on the banks of the Ural River, the natural boundary between Europe and Asia. Summer in Orenburg seems to be hotter than usual when more than 500 young people from 63 countries gather here to participate in the Eurasia Global Youth Forum.

Lo Pa Panh, a master's student at the Friendship University of Russian Peoples) is one of the five Vietnamese representatives at the Eurasia Global Youth Forum this year. They came with an important mission and brought with them a blue shirt from the Youth Union, a red flag shirt with a yellow star, and a traditional Vietnamese ao dai.

Vietnamese students volunteering in Russia.

Besides seminars on topics like "Volunteer", "Communication" and "Career," the Forum organized extracurricular activities with the theme "Cultural heritage of ethnic minorities who are living in Russia."

The Vietnamese team stole the show with their confidence. They gave an interview to a talk show with the theme "Dream," performing the song Kachiusa at the Cultural Festival. These young talents also participated in a performance of traditional costumes, bringing the special image of Vietnamese ao dai to international friends.

Vietnamese Youth at Eurasia Global

Lo Pa Panh said: “I signed up to perform the song "Co Ba Saigon", but Eurasia's organizer suggested that I sing "Cachiusa" on the new beat. So, I only had one day to practice, memorize the lyrics, and get used to the beat. After the program review, I came up with the idea to sing Vietnamese lyrics. I was introduced to a Russian singer by the Organizing Committee and we only practiced together 3 times before going on stage to perform together. Fortunately, the show was a success.”

Valeria Chernogorodova, representative of the Russian Federation Agency for Youth Affairs commented: “Vietnamese youth are very active and confident. Thanks to their progress, curiosity, and enthusiasm, they have become the focus of this year's Forum and we believe that Vietnam will grow even stronger in the future."

Natalia Ignatenko, General Director of the Elena Obraztsova Music Development Fund said: "The powerful voice of singer Khac Hoa has won me over. The emotions in the song are honestly expressed by him to the listeners. When he came to register for the performance and saw the Vietnamese flag flying over the Royal Classical Theater of Capella, he exclaimed with pride and happiness from the depth of his heart.”

Singer Nguyen Khac Hoa

Talented, enthusiastic Vietnamese students are full of confidence to shine at international forums. They know how to seize the opportunity to learn the good things of other countries in order to develop themselves and contribute to the construction of Vietnam.

These "cultural ambassadors" are also carrying out the mission of "people's diplomacy," which is an opportunity for the word "Vietnam" to be proudly resounded in many countries around the world.

International Youth Forum Eurasia Global