The Ho Chi Minh City – Gyeongju World Cultural Festival 2017 is taking place in the Vietnamese southern hub on November 11 as part of activities to celebrate the 25th founding anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries (December 22).
An art performance at the opening ceremony (Source: VNA)
The festival, the first of its kind in HCM City held by the two cities, features a series of cultural exchange activities between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK).Addressing the opening ceremony on November 11, Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong highlighted the similarity in culture, history and people of Vietnam and the RoK, and stressed that this year marks the 25 years of the fruitful cooperation between the two nations in numerous fields, including economics, culture, trade, education and tourism.Phong said the event, which runs until December 3, is expected to convey a message of peace, cooperation and friendship among people all around the world, while lifting friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and the RoK to a new level in a more sustainable manner.For his part, Governor of the RoK’s province Gyeongsangbuk-Do province Kim Kwan-yong underlined the Vietnam – RoK ties, saying that they are big economic partners of each other as well as a huge number of the two nation’s people are living in the respective country.The festival helps usher in a path of peace and cooperation in culture and economic development, he said, adding that it contributes to promoting the cooperation between the two nations in tourism, trade and investment.The event comprises art performances, fashion show, film screening, among others.The Gyeonju World Cultural Festival is held biennially by Gyeongsangbuk-Do province since 1998. It was held six times in the RoK and two times in other countries (Cambodia in 2006 and Turkey in 2013), attracting over 17 million people.-VNA
