Vietnam Days in Spain kicked off

A scene in Yen’s life movie.

The 2017 event is held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam - Spain diplomatic ties. According to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, that over the past 40 years, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Spain have been developed constantly, despite numerous ups and downs in the two regions and the world, with Spain becoming the first EU member to have a strategic partnership with Vietnam.
The bilateral strategic partnership has been realised in all cooperative fields from politics, defence, economics to education and culture with a long-term vision. Among ASEAN nations, Vietnam is the largest trade partner of Spain. It is also an attractive destination for Spanish tourists, with over 58,000 arrivals in 2016, up 29 percent from the previous year and a two-fold rise compared with that of 2010.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh expressed his belief that the Vietnam Days event will help bring the Vietnamese nation and people closer to Spanish friends through a series of activities, such as art performances, film screenings, and a trade and investment promotion forum.
In addition, according to the Cinematography Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, a Vietnam film week is underway in Spain from May 23 - 25 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Spain.
The film screening event is in the framework of the Vietnam Days in Spain organized by the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, and the highlight of the Vietnam Cultural Space, to be launched at a ceremony on May 24 at Circulo Bellas Artes theatre. Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister is scheduled to appear at the ceremony.
The film Yen’s life was selected to start the film week. The film won the best film title at the 9th World Premieres Film Festival of the Philippines in 2016. Three other films to be introduced to the Spanish audience on the occasion were Yellow Flowers on Green Grass, Quyen, The Way Station.
Other activities in the Vietnam Cultural Space include exhibitions of paintings, photos, handicrafts and fine art articles, and folk games, in order to introduce the Vietnamese culture to the Spanish public.