In her opening remarks, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, head of the organising board, laid stress on the sound diplomatic ties between the two nations, with Da Nang positively building the friendship and cooperation with Korean localities, organisations and businesses across trade, investment, tourism, education, human resources and cultural exchange.
The RoK, as a dynamic country that has developed on the back of modern digital platforms, has invested in various ICT, high-tech and automation projects in Da Nang city, she said, adding it is also a top source of tourists for the Vietnamese coastal locality. The East Asian economic power has also become a favourite destination for Da Nang locals to travel, work and study.
The large number of Korean organisations participating in the festival shows that cultural and people-to-people exchanges have gained increasingly attention from both countries, the official said, expressing her hope that the collaboration ties between Da Nang and its Korean partners will be unceasingly expanded. An array of activities will be held within the three-day festival, including a cooking contest with materials imported from Jeju island, a talent contest, together with various traditional and modern art performances.
General Consul of the RoK in Da Nang Kang Boosung, for his part, said the festival is a demonstration of the deep friendship, confidence and progressive exchange cooperation between Vietnam’s central region and the RoK.
The two countries are making tireless efforts to further deepen the bilateral relations, he said, adding two-way trade exceeding 76.1 billion USD in 2023, making Vietnam the third largest trade partner of the RoK which is now the biggest investor in Vietnam with the accumulated investment of 85.9 billion USD.
He underlined that the number of Korean tourist arrivals to Vietnam was around 3.6 million in 2023, and there are more Vietnamese travelling to the RoK. According to him, the central region in Vietnam, with Da Nang city being the centre, has an important role to play in the bilateral people-to-people exchange, since the region is emerging as a favourite destination for Korean travellers.
The Consulate General of the RoK will work closely with the city to expand cooperation to new areas such as high-tech industry, business and university, as well as consolidate a solid foundation for their win-win collaboration in the coming time, he said.
Following the opening ceremony, the festival went vibrant with many art performances of art troupes from Da Nang city and the RoK.
