Closing of the World Cultural Festival was brilliant and lingering like the echoes of "Don't go home if you stay"

The World Cultural Festival closed with the lingering echo of nostalgia and hope to see you again, like the famous Vietnamese folk song - "My dear, please don't come back".

The closing ceremony of the World Cultural Festival took place on the evening of October 12 in the heritage space of Thang Long Imperial Citadel. The program was attended by leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hanoi People's Committee, along with representatives of embassies and international organizations.

The closing ceremony of the World Cultural Festival began with the bustling melodies of Xam, nursery rhymes, and folk songs from three regions, full of Vietnamese cultural colors.

World Cultural Festival - memorable days of international friendship

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the World Cultural Festival, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung said: "Sustainable, creative and inclusive development has become the goal of many countries in the world, and Vietnam is no exception. The Vietnamese government has identified sustainable development based on cultural and human development as the foundation, and promoting foreign affairs and international integration as essential and regular."

Minister Nguyen Van Hung speaks at the closing ceremony of the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi 2025. Photo: Hai Nguyen

The speech of Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung emphasized, "The Vietnamese people are civilized and heroic with thousands of years of history, have a tradition of loving peace, always understand and act for stability and cooperation and clearly perceive that preserving and promoting cultural values, respecting and protecting nature is a way to show gratitude to tradition, ensuring the right to development of future generations, ensuring the rapid and sustainable development of the country".

The first World Cultural Festival in Vietnam is a vivid proof; originated from the initiative of Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly - Wife of General Secretary To Lam on organizing an international cultural event in the capital Hanoi - a place to honor the unique beauty of each country - affirm the power of culture in connecting people to people - and is a vivid picture of the Unity in Diversity of humanity.

The World Cultural Festival takes place from October 10-12 with the participation of 48 countries and international organizations.

The festival has a series of programs, plans and activities such as: Cultural Road exhibition, "Heritage Footsteps" fashion show, book fair, introduction of culinary culture of countries...

The festival is a vivid picture of Humanity's Unity in Diversity. Photo: Hai Nguyen

Minister Nguyen Van Hung affirmed, "We have lived memorable days, witnessed the wonderful exchange of cultures around the world at the historic Thang Long Imperial Citadel - a world cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO - within the framework of the first World Cultural Festival; we have shared, learned and overcome all language and geographical barriers to come closer together"...

The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism presented commemorative medals and expressed his thanks to representatives of embassies and international organizations participating in the World Cultural Festival.

Music connects all peoples

The closing ceremony continued with a series of special art performances. Singer Truc Nhan performed the song “Bright Prosperity of Vietnam” – this song was chosen to perform at the 80th National Day celebration on the morning of September 2 at the historic Ba Dinh Square. The song has a folk melody, inspired by lullabies and the beauty of traditional Vietnamese culture.

Truc Nhan performs at the Closing Ceremony. Photo: Hai Nguyen

In the second song “Made in Vietnam”, Truc Nhan performed with the dance troupe with spectacular lighting effects. The song was composed by DTAP. DTAP said they composed this song based on their love and strong national pride.

Following Truc Nhan's performance, the Indonesian Embassy's art troupe performed the melody of the song "Hello Vietnam" through Indonesian traditional musical instruments.

The song "Hello Vietnam" was released in 2004-2005, originally a French song titled "Bonjour Vietnam".

The song praises the love for Vietnam of a person living far away from home. The song was first performed by Belgian singer of Vietnamese origin – Pham Quynh Anh.

The Pakistan Arts Group performed "Yaad". This is a nostalgic poem by the great Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The poet describes the power of memory and nostalgia in moments of loneliness and isolation that can bring hope, happiness and a sense of reunion with loved ones. The performance was profound and emotional.

The performance “Cuban Wind” took place in a vibrant and seductive tango while 5 artists from Iran performed the song “Dawn”.

"Dawn" is a song full of patriotism and aspiration for freedom. The lyrics praise Iran as a home of faith, where a brilliant dawn has appeared after many sacrifices and losses.

Art performances by neighboring countries at the event. Photo: Hai Nguyen

At the end of the program, singer Hoang Thuy Linh participated in the Closing Ceremony of the World Cultural Festival with two famous songs, Gieo Que (Khac Hung) and See Tinh (DTAP).

Among them, See Tinh with its catchy melody, combining musical materials, national culture with electronic music, has crossed borders, spread on digital platforms, and is listened to in many Asian countries. Many international stars such as Blackpink and actress Hyeri performed the choreography of "See Tinh" when coming to Vietnam.

Khac Hung's "Gieo Que" is inspired by the long-standing culture of Vietnamese people on every New Year's occasion of asking for divination, picking lucky branches, sending off the old and welcoming the new, hoping for a peaceful and smooth start.

The mash-up melody of “Green Pinwheel” and “Bell and Flag” ended the closing night of the World Cultural Festival at Thang Long Imperial Citadel with brilliant fireworks.

The World Cultural Festival ended with a lingering promise to meet again, like the famous Vietnamese folk song, "My dear, please don't come back."

The World Cultural Festival has shown a colorful and brilliant picture of each country's culture. Each nation has its own way of telling the history, character and art of its country. The unique and special stories about culture have resonated and exchanged, creating a colorful and aspirational bridge for a prosperous, peaceful and humane world.

Source: https://laodong.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/be-mac-le-hoi-van-hoa-the-gioi-ruc-ro-luu-luyen-nhu-du-am-nguoi-o-dung-ve-1590496.ldo