Experiencing Viet Nam through the “five senses”
The annual event has been organised since 2024 by the Art Space Association — an organisation promoting education and multicultural exchange in France — in coordination with the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France. This year’s programme brought together more than 50 Vietnamese and Vietnamese-origin young people from Viet Nam, the US, Australia, France, Austria, and China, among others, who directly developed the programme and performed at the festival.
Bonjour Viet Nam Festival 2026 was designed around the theme “Viet Nam through the five senses”, featuring three main experiential spaces: a Vietnamese photo exhibition, a street food area, and a traditional handicraft experience zone.
More than a cultural event, Bonjour Viet Nam became a multisensory experience where French and international audiences could touch, hear, see, taste, and feel a modern Viet Nam rich in identity in the heart of Paris.
At the exhibition area, nearly 100 photos by young photographers on festivals, cuisine, landscapes, and the country and people of Viet Nam highlighted the image of a vibrant, youthful, and modern Viet Nam.
The exhibition also introduced the project “A Vietnamese Cultural Handbook: Viet Nam from A to Y”, developed by Vietnamese students in Paris and students from the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam. Each letter tells an interesting story about the daily lives and habits of young Vietnamese people, offering snapshots of Vietnamese life through a youthful and creative perspective.
The food space, featuring familiar dishes and drinks such as banh mi, banh gio, steamed buns, iced milk coffee, and iced tea, together with handicraft booths where visitors could explore Vietnamese culture through Dong Ho painting, Chang Son fans, and conical hat decoration, attracted large numbers of overseas Vietnamese, French residents, and international visitors.
Many visitors, for the first time, had the chance to make traditional Vietnamese handicrafts, creating excitement and enthusiasm as they learned about Vietnamese culture.
Speaking to Nhan Dan Newspaper’s correspondent in France, Charlotte, a Paris resident attending the event, said she learned about the programme through the media and brought her son along to experience it.
“I knew about the programme and have always been interested in Vietnamese culture. I brought my son here today so we could experience activities such as making Dong Ho paintings and bamboo dragonflies,” Charlotte said.
Charlotte said she was impressed by the lively Vietnamese cultural atmosphere in Paris, where both children and adults could directly participate in traditional cultural, handicraft, and culinary activities.
Le Thi Chien, an overseas Vietnamese who has lived in France for more than 50 years, attended the festival with her husband, feeling deeply connected to her roots. She was moved to immerse herself in a Vietnamese cultural space in the heart of Paris, from cuisine to traditional cultural activities.
She said that although she has lived far from her homeland for decades, she has always looked towards Viet Nam, preserving the Vietnamese language and traditional cultural values, while regularly participating in the Vietnamese community.
“I am very moved to attend the Bonjour Viet Nam Festival today. What impressed me first was the Vietnamese cultural and culinary space. Living far from the homeland but still being able to enjoy familiar dishes and immerse myself in such a richly Vietnamese atmosphere makes me very proud,” she said.
Meanwhile, Liem, a French citizen who once lived in Viet Nam for seven years, enthusiastically spoke Vietnamese with visitors and the Vietnamese community at the Bonjour Viet Nam Festival.
According to him, programmes like this are highly meaningful because they help international friends better understand Viet Nam, while offering those who have been attached to the country an opportunity to relive fond memories and continue connecting with Vietnamese culture.
“I love Viet Nam very much and still use Vietnamese to this day. Coming to the Bonjour Viet Nam Festival today, I am very happy to meet many Vietnamese people, speak Vietnamese, enjoy traditional dishes, and experience a Vietnamese cultural atmosphere right here in Paris,” he shared.
Telling Vietnamese stories in the language of the young generation
A highlight of the programme was the “Colours of Viet Nam” art night, featuring distinctive performances staged and performed by more than 50 pupils, students, and young people from Viet Nam and many other countries, leaving a strong impression on international friends.
The performances were created by young Vietnamese and Vietnamese-origin participants themselves, including second-generation young people born and raised in France, reflecting the spirit of cultural exchange among young people who, despite growing up abroad, continue to look towards their roots.
After learning about the Bonjour Viet Nam Festival last year, Dang Phan Anh, a 12th-grade student at the Experimental School of Educational Sciences in Ngoc Ha Ward, Ha Noi, registered to join this year’s programme with the desire to make a small contribution to promoting Vietnamese culture to international friends.
Taking part in an international-scale cultural event for the first time, he said he was impressed and proud to immerse himself in the vibrant atmosphere of the programme in France. For him, the stories, experiences, and emotions brought by the event felt as close as returning home, while also giving him deep pride in helping spread Vietnamese culture to the world.
“I think this event has special significance for young people, especially those living and studying far from their homeland. Through cultural and artistic activities, young people can maintain their connection with their roots and nurture their affection and attachment to Viet Nam, no matter where they are,” Phan Anh said.
Alongside the performances, audiences also admired the “Tu linh To nu” ao dai collection by designer Tang Mai Anh from Ha Noi, which combines the image of the four sacred animals with Hang Trong folk paintings, bringing together tradition and contemporary creativity.
A distinctive feature of this year’s programme was that, in parallel with the Bonjour Viet Nam Festival, the international short documentary film festival Viet Culture in Motion took place at the Saint-André des Arts cinema in Paris from June 11 to 14, with four consecutive screenings. The entire programme focused on introducing films about Vietnamese culture made by young and amateur filmmakers, many of whom are under 30 and even under 18.
The short films became authentic snapshots, helping portray a multidimensional Viet Nam that is both traditional and moving within contemporary life. Instead of following a promotional or cultural tourism narrative, the works chose very ordinary stories: from the indigo dyeing craft of the H’Mong people and the weaving of the Ta Oi people, to the art of tuong classical drama and the simple lives of elderly people.
After the first two days, all screenings were fully booked. Many French friends attended and stayed long after each screening to ask questions, talk, and learn more about Vietnamese culture.
According to a representative of the organising board, more than 50 young participants were connected from many countries and jointly developed ideas remotely before gathering in Paris. They went through a short period of preparation, rehearsals, and final run-throughs, yet managed to create complete and energetic performances.
Hoang Thu Trang, President of the Art Space Association, said the festival aims to tell the story of Viet Nam through the eyes of young people, reflecting a modern, dynamic country rich in identity.
“The participation of young people is the core value of the programme. We want young people to tell the story of Viet Nam in their own language,” Hoang Thu Trang told Nhan Dan Newspaper.
According to her, Viet Nam does not lack good stories. What matters is that young people dare to retell them in the language of the times — more authentic, more creative, and closer to international audiences.
Dinh Ngoc Duc, Director of the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in France, emphasised that the programme places young people at the centre. They are not only participants but also “young cultural ambassadors”, carrying with them an open, creative spirit, and a desire for connection to spread the image of Viet Nam to the world.
Vietnamese Ambassador to France Trinh Duc Hai highly valued the fact that the Bonjour Viet Nam Festival has been maintained and developed over the years, demonstrating the strong vitality of Vietnamese culture and the deep attachment of the Vietnamese community in France to the homeland.
The Ambassador stressed that cultural diplomacy is one of the three important pillars of Viet Nam’s foreign policy, contributing not only to promoting the country’s image but also to enhancing mutual understanding, people-to-people connectivity, and cooperation between Viet Nam and other countries.
He said that through artistic activities, the programme introduced a Viet Nam that is both traditional and modern, creative and integrated, while affirming the important role of young people as cultural bridges between Viet Nam and the world.
