Organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event aimed to show the cultural identities and traditions of the nation’s 54 ethnic groups.

Previously, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had issued a decision making April 19 as the Day of Vietnam’s Ethnic Cultures.

A ceremony to announce the decision took place at the Ethnic Culture and Tourism Village on the April 19 evening, which saw the presence of National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan.

Following the ceremony, a large cultural programme directed by artist Trong Dai was organised, with the participation of close to 1,000 artists, artisans and village heads.

The programme included five chapters: Hoi Xuan (Spring Festival), featuring festivities from all of Vietnam’s regions, and Su Thi (Epics), featuring De Dat De Nuoc epics from the Muong ethnic group and Dam San of the EDe ethnic group.

The other chapters were Hat Giao Duyen (Dual Love Songs) of the country’s three regions, with a reading of the poem Nam Quoc Son Ha (Rivers and Mountains of the Southern Nation) by General Ly Thuong Kiet. The poem was considered the nation’s first declaration of independence in 1077.

The Tinh Yeu va Thu Thach (Love and Challenges) chapter described people coping with the severities of nature, with an extract from Binh Ngo Dai Cao (The Proclamation of the Victory over the Foreign Invaders) by Nguyen Trai, and the last chapter, named Vietnam To Quoc Men Yeu (Vietnam: the Lovely Motherland), was a jubilant mix of Thai dance, Lo Lo sticks and Tay Nguyen gongs.

Some 2,000 delegates from different ethnic groups joined the conference Hoi Nghi Dien Hong (Dien Hong Conference) to discuss traditional culture in various regions and brainstorm ideas for upcoming festivals.

The name of the conference, Dien Hong, stems from an historical event that has come to symbolise the solidarity and patriotism of the Vietnamese people.

During the Tran Dynasty, King Tran Thanh Tong held the Dien Hong Conference in 1284, a meeting at which many generals and nobles gathered together and decided to join the fight against Yuan invaders.

Ethnic groups from 33 provinces and cities nationwide attended the event.

On display will be over 150 replicas of the stones and a large number of photographs of the site, which have been taken by the Hanoi Arts University since 2003.

The exhibits were displayed in Hanoi in 2006 alongside a number of copies of works by famous world painters, which expressed the artist’s ideas of pre-historic ages or contained images that are engraved on the ancient stones in Sapa.

The upcoming event will be held at the Vasterrbotten Museum by the Hanoi Arts University in association with the host country’s Umea Arts Institute to mark the 40th anniversary of Vietnamese-Swedish diplomatic relations.

The seminar will introduce the Mexican people and land to Vietnam, as well as potential in tourism and trade between the two countries.

Rafael Chavez Ortega, Deputy General Director for Asia of the Tokyo-based Mexican Council for Tourism Promotion, is expected to address the seminar about the Mexican tourism market, focusing on cultural and historical heritages in the country.

With a 3,000-year-old culture, Mexico offers visitors with white sandy beaches of the Caribbean coastal areas and beautiful colonial towns. The country boasts 26 UNESCO-recognised world heritage sites and many other sites of tourist attractions.

In 2007, Mexico ranked 8th in term of tourist arrivals with 22 million visitors and 14th in revenue from tourism with USD 13 billion.

Meanwhile, Salomon Sacal, Singapore-based Mexico’s Trade Representative for Asia, is expected to give a presentation on trade potential between Mexico and Vietnam, business opportunities and other useful information.
The seminar will bring a great opportunity to the Vietnamese companies who are interested in expanding their business to one of the world’s leading emerging markets.

The official opening of the annual Japanese Sakura Festival, the third of its kind in Vietnam, saw the presence of Deputy Prime Minister-cum-Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem and Hanoi authority leaders.

Visitors eagerly experienced Japan’s cultural characters through a series of art performances, specialties and Origami paper-folding skills.

Fifteen groups of dancers from Japan and hundreds of Vietnamese youths entertained the locals along the streets leading to the palace with exciting Yosakoi parade dances.

The festival was organised by the Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange Association to celebrate 999 years of Thang Long-Hanoi’s anniversary.