A Quan ho (love duet singing) troupe of Vietnam performed at one of the eight main stages of the festival, helping to introduce the intangible cultural heritage as well as unique cultural identity of Vietnam.
Cultural publications, commercial products, souvenirs, and tourism information were also exhibited at the three-day event. Notably, visitors got a chance to experience printing Dong Ho paintings, a unique folk art genre of Vietnam.
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Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Pham Hung Tam (fifth from left) and members of the Quan ho troupe pose for a group photo at the festival. |
Visiting Vietnam's booth, many visitors showed great interest in tourist attractions in Vietnam to prepare for their upcoming trips to the Southeast Asian nation. Many of them were delighted to participate in a survey sharing their knowledge about Vietnam.
The festival also featured performances by various artists from different countries, along with parades and cooking demonstrations.
Ambassador of Singapore to Australia Anil Kumar Nayar, who is also holding the rotating chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee in Canberra (ACC), emphasized that ASEAN aims to further enhance regional cooperation, including in cultural connections and people-to-people exchanges.
He expressed his belief that Australia and ASEAN will continue to work together and strengthen their ties as both sides share the common principle of "unity in diversity".
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Andrew Barr spoke highly of the relationship between ASEAN and Australia, highlighting their importance to each other in cultural exchange, which contributes to strengthening overall relations as well as economic cooperation.
This is the seventh time all the 10 ASEAN countries have come together at the festival to introduce the beauty of their land, people, culture, and traditional cuisine to Australians and international friends.
The annual Canberra Multicultural Festival aims at promoting the multicultural beauty of the communities in Australia. Last year, it attracted nearly 420,000 attendees, with nearly 270 exhibition booths from organizations, embassies of countries, and community groups representing 170 ethnicities in Australia.
Source: VNA