The event is part of the Culture House’s programme to help Vietnamese young people understand more about the culture and people of countries around the world as well as strengthen international relations for Vietnam.

The festival, themed “A Glance Uniquely Singapore,” started with an exhibition of a postcard collection titled “Saigon – Singpore at the beginning of 20th century” provided by Singaporean collector Soh Weng Yew. Visitors can also enjoy traditional Singaporean cuisine at the festival.

The event took place at the Marina Mandarin in Singapore on July 16 with the participating of top scoring winners from Asia.

The Asia Pacific Property Awards 2009 is part of the CNBC International Property Awards which was established 15 years ago. As the world’s most prestigious competition, it seeks out the best real estate professionals across the globe. Later this year, top scoring winners from the Asia Pacific Property Awards will compete against other winning companies from Europe, the UK, Africa, the Americas and Arabia to find the ultimate World’s Best in each category.

Mr. Felix Von Bodman, General Manager of Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel & Spa, said: “The hospitality industry is always trying to improve and to find attractive offers and events. In my opinion the most important is quality and service. Therefore it is great to have the possibility to be honored and to win awards, keeps the competition active.”

By winning “Best 5-star hotel in Vietnam 2009” by The Asia Pacific Property Awards, “Topten hotel 2008” by Vietnam Tourism Association and recently Expedia Insiders’ Award “One of the World’s Top 100 hotels 2009” by Expedia – the world leading online travel company, Sunrise Nha Trang Beach Hotel & Spa has proved to be locally and internationally recognized as a five star luxurious hotel in Nha Trang amongst of the country’s top hotels and resorts in Vietnam for the highest quality of service.

The ASEAN Culture and Gastronomy Day was also part of activities to mark the 42nd founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (August 8, 1967-2009).

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Indonesian Ambassador Khamid Avaludin, Rotating President of the ASEAN Council in Russia, highlighted the bloc’s achievements in joint efforts to develop Southeast Asia into a region of peace, stability, friendship, cooperation and prosperity.

Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Borodavkin highly valued the Russia-ASEAN partnership and the development of the ASEAN into a powerful international organisation in politics, economics and culture, which serves the benefits of all member countries.

He affirmed that Russia welcomes and supports the ASEAN’s initiative to build a new security mechanism in Southeast Asia.

Nearly 200 photos and exhibits featuring Vietnamese people and landscapes such as Hanoi, Halong, My Son, and Hoi An are being showcased at the event.

The exhibition also introduces the country’s traditional clothes, wood-block prints and handicrafts.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Pham Xuan Sinh, Director of Vietnam Cultural Centre in France said he hopes the exhibition would help strengthen the two countries’ friendship and mutual understanding and link the Vietnamese expatriates in France with their homeland.

The exhibition will last until May 15.