Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: The World Cultural Festival is a connection between Vietnam and peoples around the world.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the opening ceremony of the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi , Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked the representatives of countries contributing to the event, and emphasized the role of culture in connecting people to people, between countries and the world.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi. Photo: BVH

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that culture is the "red thread" connecting people, connecting countries, connecting the world; culture has no borders.

Assessing the first World Cultural Festival in Hanoi as an event connecting the Vietnamese people with peoples around the world, the Prime Minister said that although “all beginnings are difficult”, all relevant parties have made every effort to organize the Festival. From there, it brought joy and cultural enjoyment of peoples around the world to Vietnam and of Vietnam to peoples and countries around the world.

The Prime Minister said that Vietnam is currently experiencing a period of natural disasters, "storm after storm, flood after flood". In the third quarter alone, Vietnam had to endure 8 storms, 4 of which were in September. A part of the population is struggling with the difficulties caused by natural disasters.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh performs the opening ceremony. Photo: BVH

On this occasion, the Prime Minister sent his deepest condolences to localities and families suffering loss of life and property; and called for contributions, cooperation and sharing from compatriots nationwide and international friends for those who are being severely affected by natural disasters.

The Prime Minister added that President Ho Chi Minh, the great national hero and world cultural celebrity of Vietnam, pointed out that “culture lights the way for the nation”. The Communist Party of Vietnam defines culture as an endogenous strength, culture has scientific, national and popular characteristics.

Currently, Vietnam is continuing to concretize this cultural line of the Communist Party of Vietnam so that culture is truly an endogenous strength, connecting people to people, connecting economies; promoting the development of cultural industry, entertainment industry, contributing to the internationalization of Vietnam's culture imbued with national identity to international friends and the nationalization of the world's civilization into Vietnam.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and delegates visit Vietnam's exhibition booth - Photo: Tran Huan

The Prime Minister hopes that ministries, branches, localities, and especially countries and international partners will continue to respond so that the World Cultural Festival can be organized annually in Vietnam.

The Prime Minister also expressed his sincere thanks to the wife of General Secretary To Lam - Mrs. Ngo Phuong Ly for her good idea about the Festival. At the same time, the Prime Minister thanked the Ministries, branches and foreign representative agencies in Vietnam for participating in organizing the Festival.

The Prime Minister also highly appreciated the program with the spirit of expressing the rich Vietnamese cultural identity, including the culture of sharing, the culture of helping each other with national love and compatriotism; contributing to sharing and sending feelings in many different forms to compatriots suffering the consequences of climate change, including the current storms and floods.

Mr. Jonathan Baker, Chief Representative of UNESCO Office in Vietnam, spoke at the opening ceremony - Photo: Tran Huan

Mr. Jonathan Baker - Chief Representative of UNESCO Office in Vietnam affirmed: "The World Culture Festival in Hanoi is the first to gather artists, communities and countries to share traditional values and creative innovation, to listen and affirm that cultural differences do not divide us but actually connect us together".

Mr. Jonathan Baker affirmed that UNESCO is proud to accompany Vietnam on this meaningful journey. UNESCO's cooperation in the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi emphasizes that creativity and humanity always go hand in hand.

“Each activity demonstrates UNESCO’s shared commitment to Hanoi and to Vietnam, placing culture at the heart of sustainable development, empowering communities and promoting creativity as a driver for inclusion and resilience.

Let this festival be remembered not only for its colors and performances but also for its message: “When cultures unite, humanity unites.”

Quan ho singers perform in the opening program. Photo: BVH

“Let us together build a future where culture inspires unity and resilience in the face of adversity right here in Hanoi and around the world,” said Mr. Jonathan Baker.

The opening night of the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi was filled with colorful culture and art.

The opening ceremony stage on the evening of October 10, in addition to the ceremony, is also a global art rendezvous with performances by art troupes from Japan, India, Laos, Mongolia, and Pakistan. On the Vietnamese side, there are artists and singers such as: Tung Duong, Hoa Minzy, Oplus group, Ngoc Anh, cellist Dinh Hoai Xuan, People's Artist Thuy Huong, Tieu Minh Phung, Mai Trang, Quach Mai Thi, An Thu An, Ram C, Besinger...

According to Dan Viet reporters , from the afternoon of October 10, the space of the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Heritage Center - the place where the festival is held - became crowded and bustling. The cultural colors of many countries shine brightly through the "specialties" displayed such as: fashion, cuisine, handicrafts... Thousands of people in the capital and international tourists immersed themselves in an unprecedented festival atmosphere with the quintessence of cultural values of the five continents gathered in the heart of the world heritage site of Thang Long Imperial Citadel.

Singer Nguyen Ngoc Anh performs with the group Oplus. Photo: BVH

According to the Organizing Committee, the World Cultural Festival in Hanoi brings together 48 countries, 45 cultural spaces, 34 international culinary booths, and 23 art troupes. The program is designed to be highly interactive, creating opportunities for the public to directly experience and enjoy diverse art forms such as: Art performances; Fashion shows; Fine arts and photography exhibitions; Film screenings; International culinary festivals; Book exhibitions; International folk song and dance festivals.

A unique highlight in the series of cultural activities is the performance of 100 international national costumes with the theme “Footsteps of Heritage” which will take place on the evening of October 11. This will be the richest and most spectacular international national costume performance ever in Vietnam.

Singer Tung Duong performs in the program. Photo: BVH

“Heritage Footsteps” is not only an artistic fashion show but also a journey to honor heritage and identity – where each outfit tells the story of culture, history and spirit of the nation. At the event, the Organizing Committee will auction a number of collections to raise funds to support people severely affected by storms and floods.

From October 11 to 12, visitors can visit booths from China, Korea, Japan, the United States, Russia, France, Iran, Angola, Laos, the Philippines... to explore the unique history, art, language, costumes and customs of each country.

In particular, visitors have the opportunity to experience wearing traditional costumes of Vietnam and other countries.

The festival also includes an international film screening program, introducing outstanding Vietnamese and international cinema works at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel Hall from 9am to 9pm.

Performances by international art troupes. Photo: BVH

At the round stage, there will be many traditional art programs and international performances from 9am to 11:30am, 2:30pm to 5:30pm and 9pm to 9:30pm, with performances such as: Central Highlands gongs, Bac Ninh quan ho, cheo, chau van, folk dance...

In addition, at the Food Quarter, visitors can explore multinational cuisine and participate in culinary workshops to learn about typical dishes of many different cultures.

The World Culture Festival in Hanoi is open to the public on October 11 and 12. The closing ceremony will take place from 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on October 12.

Source: https://danviet.vn/thu-tuong-pham-minh-chinh-le-hoi-van-hoa-the-gioi-la-su-ket-noi-giua-viet-nam-voi-cac-dan-toc-tren-the-gioi-d1369465.html