Cultural exchange between Vietnamese and Laos ethnic minorities opens

The culture, sports and tourism festival between ethnic minority groups in the Vietnam - Laos border areas and in Vietnam’s Central and Central Highlands areas opened in A Luoi district, Thua Thien - Hue province on May 17.

An art performance at the festival. (Photo: baogiaothong.vn)
An art performance at the festival. (Photo: baogiaothong.vn)

Addressing the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy said that the festival aims to honour and promote the traditional cultural values of ethnic minority groups, while strengthening the solidarity, friendship and cultural exchanges between the border provinces of Vietnam and Laos.

With a variety of distinguished cultural activities, the festival promises to create good impressions to visitors on images of Vietnam, as well as the friendship between the two countries, Thuy said.

Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Buangan Xaphuvong noted that the festival will promote cultural exchanges between the two countries, while strengthening the brotherhood between the peoples of the two countries, particularly people at the shared border of the two sides.

Entitled “Solidarity, friendship and development”, the event is being jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the People’s Committee of Thua Thien – Hue province and will run until May 19.

More than 600 artisans, artists and athletes from the five border provinces of Thua Thien – Hue, Quang Tri, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Kon Tum and four provinces of Laos are participating in the festival.

The three-day festival will feature main activities including exhibitions on cultural and tourism products of localities, mass art performances, brocade weaving performances, traditional rituals of ethnic minority groups, cuisine contests, sports competitions, and others.