‘Vietnam Days Abroad 2023’ will take place in South Africa for the first time between September 14 and 15, marking its debut in Africa, 13 years after the fest was launched in 2010, the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told a press briefing held in Hanoi on Friday.

The event is an annual national promotion program chaired by the ministry as per the assignment of the prime minister.

This program is aimed at marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and South Africa.

Hoang Huu Anh, deputy head of the department and head of the organization board of the event, said that the program is meant to introduce Vietnam’s land, people, and culture to South African people.

A series of workshops and forums on economic – trade – investment promotion will be organized within the framework of Vietnam Days Abroad 2023.

The event will feature various art performances, and cultural exchange programs, with a highlight of a Vietnamese cultural space.

The fest is set to kick off in South Africa to attract tourists and investors there to Vietnam due to the modest number of international arrivals in the latter from the former, said Anh.

Before COVID-19 broke out in early 2020, Vietnam welcomed some 5,000 travelers from South Africa each year.

This nation is among Vietnam’s key trade partners in Africa.

Vietnam Days Abroad 2023 will also be held in France and Japan in November and December to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the two countries.

Nguyen Thi Yen, director at Dong Do Event and Performance Services JSC, said that art shows within the framework of Vietnam Days Abroad 2023 will delight spectators with a performance of the meo flute, a traditional instrument of the H’mong ethnic minority in northern Vietnam, lotus dances, a fashion show of Nguyen Dynasty costumes, and southern folk music.

The program will treat international friends to pho, a world-renowned Vietnamese dish.

The Vietnamese cultural space will bring together multiple artisans and young cultural practitioners to showcase the Vietnamese crafts of the lacquer art, the Dong Ho folk painting art, and the figurine art.

An array of photos of diplomatic ties as well as Vietnam’s heritage, land, and people will be on display at the cultural space during the festival.

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