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| Visitors at the Vietnam booth (Photo: VNA) |
Addressing the opening of the booth, Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Mai Phuoc Dung said that the event helps Singaporean and international friends get a better understanding about the potential and strengths of the Vietnamese tea and coffee industry, contributing to bringing Vietnamese farm produce trademarks to the world.
Dung said that trade ties between Vietnam and Singapore have been continuously growing. Two-way trade reached 9.1 billion USD in 2022, up 11% year on year, he said, noting that Vietnam and Singapore are the only two ASEAN member countries that have signed free trade agreements with the UK and EU.
The two countries have also joined a number of other trade deals such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), said the diplomat, adding that the two sides are taking full advantage of the deals to speed up post-pandemic recovery and support each other.
Vietnam’s booth showcases more than 100 coffee, tea, milk and food products of 30 companies. Particularly, egg coffee making performance at the booth drew special attention of visitors.
Cao Xuan Thang, Vietnamese Trade Counselor in Singapore, said that the event is the first activities of the Vietnam Week in Singapore, which aims to support domestic firms to increase the presence of their products in the Southeast Asian country. In the time to come, the Vietnam Trade Office will assist Vietnamese enterprises to access policies of Singapore and connect with local partners.
This year, ICT Asia, one of the leading trade fairs for the coffee and tea industry in Southeast Asia, drew more than 240 businesses from 26 countries and is expected to lure over 10,000 visitors.
Whale worshipping festival held in Ha Tinh province
The Nhuong Ban Whale Worshipping Festival, a national intangible cultural heritage, was held in Cam Nhuong commune, Cam Xuyen district, the central province of Ha Tinh on May 26, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| A ritual held at the Nhuong Ban Whale Worshipping Festival. (Photo: VNA) |
The festival is said to have been organised since the founding of Nhuong Ban village under the Tran Dynasty (1225–1400).
However, based on the conferment documents left, the festival dates back to the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). Currently, in Ngu Ong Temple, there are still three of such conferment documents.
The recognition of the festival as a national intangible cultural heritage is a foundation for the locality to continue preserving and promoting the value of the festival.
Many cultural and sport activities such as tug of war, volleyball and boat rowing were held in Cam Nhuong commune on this occasion, attracting a large number of local people and visitors.
Vietnam attends 14th Asian Festival of Children’s Content
Kim Dong Publishing House and 10 other publishing houses of Vietnam have joined the 14th Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC), which is being held in Singapore, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| A booth displaying Vietnamese books at the 14th Asian Festival of Children’s Content. (Photo courtesy of Kim Dong Publishing House) |
With over 70 programmes featuring more than 100 writers and speakers from Singapore and around the world, AFCC 2023 explores the different dimensions of “Play” through books, stories and performances.
Vietnam is the country of focus at the event, which runs from May 25-28. It is expected to highlight the history of children’s literature in Vietnam and publishing opportunities as well as showcase the best picture book illustrations.
A representative of Ho Chi Minh City General Publishing House said, to prepare for the festival, the unit has designed catalogs to introduce the publishing house as well as publications in English along with bilingual and multilingual books.
It will also actively collaborate with foreign partners at the event to explore children's books that meet its criteria and target audiences to publish them in Vietnam, the representative added.
AFCC is an annual festival that promotes and advocates the creation, development and appreciation of quality Asian stories for children and young people. It provides opportunities for writers, illustrators, translators, editors, publishers, academics, teachers, librarians and parents to meet, learn about each other and develop cross-cultural collaborations.
First Vietnam – ASEAN culture, food festival opens in HCM City
The 2023 Vietnam – ASEAN Culture and Food Festival, the first of its kind, kicked off at Hoa Lu Sports Centre in Ho Chi Minh City on May 25 evening, reported Vietnam News Agency.
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| The first Vietnam – ASEAN culture and food festival opens in HCM City on May 25. (Photo: VNA) |
Hosted by the Institute for Research Development and Conservation of Southeast Asian Art and Culture (IRSAC), the four-day event is one of a series of events designed to realise the goals of the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025 and strengthen the ASEAN identity towards the 56th founding anniversary of ASEAN (August 8, 1967 – 2023).
The festival sees the presence of local and foreign restaurants, hotels and travel businesses, and food processing establishments, which display their products and services at 200 pavilions, including traditional and modern dishes, food products, and specialties.
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| On display at the event are traditional and modern dishes, food products, and specialties. (Photo: VNA) |
There are also cooking demonstrations by skilled chefs, as well as a presentation of traditional costumes, performances of traditional music and dances, and folk games from ASEAN countries.
According to Director of IRSAC Le Van Tiep, the festival aims to introduce characteristics of culture and cuisine, people and arts of the ASEAN community to local and international visitors, thus strengthening understanding, friendship and cooperation among ASEAN member countries.
In the framework of the festival, the organiser will arrange two seminars on preserving and promoting the value of Vietnamese culinary culture; and guiding enterprises to register exclusive trademarks and labels for products./.