At the gala dinner celebrating the success of the 2022 Vietnam Tourism and Culture Festival in the RoK. Source: Department of International Cooperation, Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam recently cooperated with the Embassy of Vietnam in the Republic of Korea (RoK) to organize a gala dinner for the 2022 Vietnam Tourism and Culture Festival at Westin Chosun Hotel.

It is one of two large-scale festivals organized abroad annually by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to promote the country, people, and tourism of Vietnam to Koreans and part of the celebratory activities marking the 30th anniversary of Vietnam-RoK diplomatic ties.

Speaking at the opening of the event, the Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Nguyen Vu Tung stated that besides political and economic cooperation, cultural and people-to-people exchanges play a very important role in Vietnam-RoK relations. The similarity in culture and affection and closeness between the people is an important basis for the two countries to promote and deepen the strategic cooperative partnership.

Currently, each country has more than 200,000 citizens living, studying, and working in the other country, including 60,000 Vietnamese-Korean families. This is an important bridge for the two countries to continue building a special close relationship in the future.

The festival also saw the presence of the Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, Nguyen Van Hung, in his speech at the gala night, affirmed that cultural exchange activities between Vietnam and the RoK have been implemented effectively, contributing to the development of cooperation and friendship between the peoples of the two countries.

Hung emphasized that Vietnam Culture and Tourism Week in the RoK is the greeting of Vietnam - a safe, beautiful, culturally rich destination, with friendly and hospitable people - where tourists can " live to the fullest” in every moment of the journey; is the happiness and joy of everyone when meeting and visiting each other after the Covid-19 pandemic to develop together, aiming for peace, happiness and prosperity of each country, as well as the commonwealth of the region.

Korean people enjoy the unique cultural space of Vietnam. Photo: VNA

The main event of the Vietnam Tourism and Culture Festival was held in Seoul on October 13-16 with a wide range of cultural activities and art performances.

Minister Hung and his RoK counterpart, Park Bo-gyoon had held talks on bilateral cooperation in the fields they are in charge of.

Minister Hung proposed the RoK continue its support for bilateral exchanges in culture, sports and tourism and share experience related to the development of cultural industries - a strength of the RoK.

Vietnam also wishes to cooperate with the RoK in cinematography and join hands with famous Korean filmmakers and bands to produce unique art programs that help RoK people better their understanding of Vietnam.

For his part, the RoK minister promised to organize many cultural exchange activities and promote bilateral cooperation in sports and tourism.

Ao Dai fashion show by two designers Lan Huong and Ngoc Han. Source: Department of International Cooperation, Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Within the framework of the 2022 Vietnam Tourism and Culture Festival in the RoK, on the evening of October 15, an Ao Dai fashion show by two designers Lan Huong and Ngoc Han and an art show by artists from the Vietnam Contemporary Art Theater took place.

At the Ao Dai show, Designer Lan Huong introduced to the Korean audience two collections with the theme "Color of Time" and "The Hanoi Village Gate".

The collection "Colors of Time" is a story about the colors of heaven, earth, and all things and a delicate combination of brocade, silk and motifs inspired by the ancient royal court. Through this collection, the national spirit shines on each stroke, the traditional Ao Dai also appears as an inspirational work of art.

The collection "Hanoi Village Gate" is inspired by the preservation of the ancient village gates of famous craft villages in Hanoi, in which the ao dai is skillfully embroidered with delicate handwork, feats and class. The collection has recreated the daily life of the people for many generations, associated with the village gates to become vivid and charming paintings on the Vietnamese ao dai.

At the night show. Source: Department of International Cooperation, Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Designer Ngoc Han participated in the performance with three collections of Ao Dai with the following themes: Hang Trong folk paintings, Hue Court Music and Gyeongbokgung Palace Pattern.

Talking about the meaning of these collections, designer Ngoc Han said that Hang Trong folk paintings are a very famous line of paintings in Vietnam, while the Hue royal court music has been recognised by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity, especially the Ao Dai collection with Gyeongbokgung motifs, showing the strong cultural connection and exchange between the two ethnic groups of Vietnam and the RoK.

Right after the Ao Dai fashion show was an art show by artists of the Vietnam Contemporary Art Theater.

As part of the festival, a seminar was also held to promote Vietnamese tourism with the participation of companies, travel agencies and airlines from the two countries.

The RoK is one of the most important markets for Vietnam’s tourism. Before the Covid-19 outbreak, nearly 4.3 million Korean tourists visited Vietnam in 2019, making the RoK the second largest market of Vietnamese tourism. Meanwhile, the number of Vietnamese tourists to RoK reached 554,000 in the year.

After Vietnam reopened its door to international travel, the number of RoK tourists to the country has increased rapidly, hitting 900,000 in July alone.

Cultural Festival Boosts Vietnam-RoK Ties The festival gives Vietnamese expatriates a good chance to meet and share difficulties in their daily life to make a greater contribution to the homeland.

Vietnam, RoK Cooperate in Smart Urban Development The project “Vietnam – Korea cooperation centre for smart city and construction technology (VKC)” has been launched recently in Hanoi.

RoK Promotes Vietnamese Culture, Tourism The 10th Vietnamese Culture-Tourism festival is underway in Seoul and Gwang, from October 14 to October 19.