Participants included wives of the heads of delegations from Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Singapore and Thailand.
Nguyen Thi Hien, wife of Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, guided her guests around Hoi An, a world cultural heritage site recognised by UNESCO.
The foreign visitors expressed their impression about the ancient, tranquil and simple beauty of the old Vietnamese space as well as Hoi An’s architecture, which features both Vietnamese identities and mixtures of Eastern and Western culture.
They were also introduced to the traditional silk making of Vietnam while visiting Hoi An Silk Village.
A highlight in the programme welcoming the APEC guests was a show of “ao dai”, traditional costume of Vietnam, in traditional and modern styles.
The participants appreciated the warm welcome given by the wife of the Vietnamese President as well as the hospitality of the people in Hoi An and Da Nang city, the main venue of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week. They also expressed their wish to return to Vietnam in the future.