Vietnam festival lights up Moscow’s Red Square
This festival, which offered an entertaining space for visitors, opened up opportunities to boost bilateral tourism and deepen the partnership between Vietnam and Russia.
THE HANOI TIMES — The 10-day festival “Vietnam – The Colors of the Tropics” drew an audience of one million locals and expatriates in Moscow, offering a vibrant showcase of Vietnamese culture.
Held from July 25 to August 3 at the historical Red Square for the first time, the festival aimed to celebrate 75 years of Vietnam-Russia diplomatic ties.
It highlighted the richness of Vietnamese culture through a variety of performances and exhibitions.
At the event, Russian visitors were able to attend a water puppetry by the Vietnam Puppet Theater, the “Hanoi’s 12 Flower Seasons” ao dai collection by designer Vu Viet Ha, and a lacquer painting series co-curated by Madam Ngo Phuong Ly, spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam.
Madam Ngo Phuong Ly attends the festival. Photos: VOV
Vietnamese cuisine also proved a major draw. Specialties from com (green sticky rice), such as banh com (green sticky rice cake), che com (green sticky rice sweet soup), and kem com (green sticky rice ice cream), prepared by renowned chef Anh Tuyet, delighted food lovers. Banh mi (Vietnamese baguette) was also a top favorite, with 600 loaves served daily.
The festival also featured some interactive zones with hands-on experiences, folk games, to he (figurine) making, non la (conical hat) decoration, and cooking workshops.
Vietnamese cooking class for Russians at the festival.
Russian locals and tourists can experience the atmosphere of Vietnam without leaving Moscow.
Bulat Nurmukhanov, Vice Chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee, said that a truly Vietnamese space has been recreated in the heart of the Russian capital.
“The Vietnam Cultural Festival has become a key moment of the ‘Summer in Moscow’ program, which was initiated by the city’s mayor, enriching the capital’s summer cultural events,” Bulat shared. “We are delighted to see the festival draw large crowds of locals and visitors, reflecting strong mutual interest and deep cultural exchange between the Vietnamese and Russian peoples.”
Many attendees expressed a desire to visit Vietnam after coming to the festival, while Moscow officials hailed the event as a boost to tourism and cultural exchange between the two nations.
