A Lancang-Mekong youth cultural exchange event, "A Tale of Two Cities," was held by the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University in Hanoi, on April 17 to 18. Nearly 1,000 university and middle school teachers and students from six Vietnamese provinces including Hanoi, Haiphong, Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Dien Bien and Quang Ninh attended the event. Peng Shituan, cultural counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, attended the event and communicated with the Vietnamese young people. The webcast of the event further attracted over 40,000 viewers.
The event included four sections: a folk song performance by Vietnamese and Chinese youths, a photo exhibition showcasing the magnificent landscapes of Vietnam and China, the final of a Chinese talent contest among middle school Vietnamese students, and a Chinese culture experience.
Famous Vietnamese conductor Dong Quang Vinh and Dr. Nguyen Thi Hoa Dang from the Vietnam National Academy of Music introduced folk songs in China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Vietnam's Quan Ho singing in the Bac Ninh region respectively.
During the event, the teachers and students watched the performances that brought together Chinese and Vietnamese cultural elements, learned about the history of friendly exchanges between China and Vietnam, and enjoyed the magnificent scenery through the "Magnificent Vietnam, Magnificent China" photo exhibition. They also experienced traditional Chinese culture such as paper-cutting, the traditional clothing of China's Han ethnic group, and calligraphy.
Peng said that young people, as the future of the friendship between the two countries, should strengthen exchanges, enhance understanding, inherit and carry forward the traditional friendship, and work together to contribute to the development of their own countries and the world peace. The Confucius Institute can play an active role in this regard.
The Vietnamese teachers and students who participated in the event said that they learned from the exchange event that there were a lot of similarities between Vietnamese and Chinese cultures. They hoped that more such events could be held in the future to help further enhance the mutual understanding between the two peoples.