A program meant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ties between Vietnam and the European Union (EU) will kick off later this week.

The “Europe Days 2015” program, to be organized from Friday to May 31, will boast a wide array of cultural and artistic events, the Delegation of the EU to Vietnam told a press conference in Hanoi on Tuesday.

Opening the program will be a concert given by The Red Sock Brassquintett from Germany.

Their concert will take place at 8:00 pm on Friday and Saturday at the Hanoi Opera House, at 1 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District; and at 8:00 pm on Sunday at the Municipal Theater, at 7 Lam Son Square in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Another highlight of the “Europe Days 2015” program is a one-hour laser show, set to illuminate the Hanoi Opera House from 7:30 pm on Friday.

The laser light show promises to treat spectators to sparkling images of iconic European architecture and symbols of the relationship between the EU and Vietnam.

Another slice of the European cultural diversity will also be offered during the four-day European Literature event, which will run in Hanoi from Thursday to Sunday.

The literature event, to be organized by the European Union National Institutes for Culture for the fifth time in Hanoi, is expected to enthrall visitors with a wide range of books, workshops, and painting sessions.

Meanwhile, for the ninth time, the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham) will hold its much-awaited European Food Festival in Hanoi on Saturday at 4:00 pm in the garden of the National Library, located at 31 Trang Thi Street, Hoan Kiem District.

The European Food Festival will feature some of the most famous hotels and restaurants in the Vietnamese capital that will showcase dishes of the European gastronomy.

The day will also be packed with music, fun, and children’s activities, including a bouncing castle, lucky draw, and scientific experiments using food.

The Hanoi Goethe-Institut, situated at 56-58 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Ba Dinh District, will be home to a special exhibition from Sunday to May 31.

The exhibit will present selected illustrations of award-winning German graphic artist Reinhard Kleist.

The European Film Festival, another intriguing highlight of the “Europe Days 2015” program, promises to delight audiences with 13 films by European filmmakers.

The festival is slated to kick off in Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday next week respectively.

The top winners of a writing contest entitled “What Impresses You Most about Europe, Write It Down and Win a Return Ticket to Brussels” will be announced at an awards ceremony held within the “Europe Days 2015” program’s framework.

Wrapping up the three-week “Europe Days 2015” program will be a film concert, in which composer/sound designer Ad van Dongen and composer/conductor Do Kien Cuong will re-stage “Nosferatu,” a German classic silent film, and approach the film in a new way.

Since its debut in 2004, the “Europe Days” program has established itself as a prominent feature in the Vietnamese cultural scene.

The program commemorates Europe Day, May 9, when the “Schuman Declaration” was made in 1950, setting the foundation for the outset of what is the European Union today.

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