The Consulate General of Indonesia in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday evening hosted the Indonesia-Vietnam Friendship Week, which featured a lot of impressive cultural and art performances to enhance bilateral ties.

The event, which took place at the Municipal Theater in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, is part of the multiple activities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam-Indonesia strategic partnership this year.

It was attended by Consul General of Indonesia in Ho Chi Minh City Agustaviano Sofjan and his spouse, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs Tran Phuoc Anh, friendship associations, and diplomatic missions of many countries, among others.

Artists from Saung Mang Udjo, a Bandung-based traditional art and culture center in Indonesia’s West Java, gave brilliant cultural performances using Angklung at the event.

Angklung is a traditional musical instrument made of bamboo. It is capable of making beautiful sounds and is an important aspect of Indonesia’s cultural identity, as it is often played during rice planting and harvesting activities.

Angklung was recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in November 2010.

Besides, one of the artists at the show made an interactive Angklung performance during which all participants were provided with Angklungs and instructed to play the instrument together, livening up the entire hall of the Municipal Theater.

Earlier at the event, the artists also performed Wayang Kulit, an Indonesian form of shadow puppetry, Indonesian traditional songs, and Balinese dances.

Delivering his opening speech at the show, Consul General of Indonesia in Ho Chi Minh City Agustaviano Sofjan said, “The bedrock of the Indonesia-Vietnam relationship is, without doubt, lies in people-to-people connectivity. Through various cultural exchanges such as music, arts, cuisine as well as sports events, they have brought our communities closer than ever before.

“Promoting and strengthening people-to-people contact is one of the priorities of the world that we do at the Consulate General. 

“Participating in cultural festivals, organizing social and cultural events, disseminating information on Indonesian arts and culture, as well as education scholarships are all the activities that we do in the field to enhance the mutual understanding."

Vietnam and Indonesia established their diplomatic ties in 1955 and entered into their strategic partnership in 2013.

The two ASEAN state members have witnessed their ties increasingly growing in various sectors over the years.

Their bilateral trade soared threefold to US$14.1 billion in 2022 from $4.8 billion in 2013 and is expected to reach or even surpass $15 billion in 2023, according to data released this month by the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In the year to April, the Vietnam-Indonesia trade topped $4.2 billion. Of the amount, Vietnam exported $1.6 billion worth of goods to Indonesia, up nine percent against the year-ago figure.

In Southeast Asia, Indonesia is the third-largest trade partner of Vietnam, while the latter remains the former’s fourth-biggest trade partner, the ministry added.

Recently, Vietnam and Indonesia are the only two ASEAN nations invited to attend the expanded sessions of the G7 summit, which was scheduled to take place from Friday to Sunday.

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