Creating a regular meeting point for world cultures.
On the evening of October 1st, the second World Culture Festival in Hanoi opened at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel National Historical Site, marking the beginning of a series of cultural activities taking place from October 1st to 4th.
Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra delivers the opening speech at the second World Cultural Festival in Hanoi (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).
In her opening remarks at the festival, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra stated that Vietnam recognizes culture as both the spiritual foundation of society and an important goal, driving force, and resource for the country.
Vietnam proactively absorbs the finest aspects of human culture, strengthening international exchange and cooperation so that cultural values are transformed into intrinsic strength, promoting rapid and sustainable national development. In this journey, preservation must be linked with promotion; tradition with creativity; heritage with contemporary life; and culture with people and development.
Vietnam is simultaneously promoting the application of science , technology, and artificial intelligence to digitize, preserve, restore, and promote heritage, bringing cultural values closer to the community, especially the younger generation.
Representatives from various countries and international organizations participate in the opening ceremony of the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).
Through the festival, the Deputy Prime Minister hopes to spread three messages: gathering to understand each other, connecting to develop together; cherishing and preserving heritage to pass it on, and innovating to enrich its value; and simultaneously creating an international cultural space where the world comes to Vietnam and Vietnam gets closer to the world.
The Deputy Prime Minister hopes that the festival will become a regular meeting point for world culture.
UNESCO: Culture is not a luxury.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, stated that Thang Long Imperial Citadel is a particularly suitable space for organizing the Festival, as it is a place where archaeological layers spanning more than a millennium reflect the continuous progress of political and cultural life.
According to him, the fact that more than 50 countries have gathered here, bringing together the essence of their cultural identities and expressions, is a meaningful act for UNESCO's peace-building mission.
Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo, Director of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, highly appreciated the opportunity to experience international culture at this festival (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).
Mr. Lazare Eloundou Assomo also mentioned the International Decade for Culture for Sustainable Development initiative launched by Vietnam. According to him, this initiative shows that culture is not a luxury but plays an essential role in social development, community resilience, and how nations find common ground.
"A festival like this offers something that purely policy dialogues cannot: the opportunity to experience a different culture firsthand – through its music, stories, crafts, and how that culture is present in daily life," he said.
"Gathering Heritage - Shaping the Future"
Following the opening ceremony, the artistic program themed "Convergence of Heritage - Shaping the Future" unfolded a journey from the depths of Vietnamese heritage to the space of international cultural exchange.
The first part of the program introduces Vietnamese cultural identity through the performance " Mother's Lullaby ," a medley of folk songs from the three regions of Vietnam, Hue Royal Court Music, the song " Southern Land," and the Quan Ho folk melodies of Bac Ninh.
Impressive images from the art performance at the Festival (Photo: Nguyen Ha Nam).
Traditional cultural elements are juxtaposed with contemporary artistic languages, featuring young artists such as Hoa Minzy, Duc Phuc, Truc Nhan, Ha Myo, and Hoang Bach.
The international arts space continues to expand the multicultural landscape of the program with the participation of art troupes from China, Russia, Peru, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Israel, Azerbaijan, Laos, Ukraine, South Korea, and many other countries.
The program also features the Bac Ninh Quan Ho Troupe, the Hue Royal Court Traditional Arts Theatre, the Central Highlands Gong Ensemble, the Thanh Am Xanh Group, GomShow, and international art troupes.
According to information presented at the opening ceremony, the four-day festival will feature 45 cultural spaces, 35 food stalls, film screenings from 18 countries, and 19 international art troupes with 220 artists from five continents.
The second World Culture Festival in Hanoi took place from October 1st to 4th at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, featuring cultural, artistic, culinary, film, fashion , and international exchange activities .
The festival was jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Hanoi People's Committee, with the participation of 50 countries and international organizations.
This year's event , held to mark the 50th anniversary of Vietnam's membership in UNESCO, aims to celebrate the power of culture in connecting people, promoting dialogue, and strengthening friendship between nations.
