The highlight of the 11th HCM City Ao Dai Festival, themed “Vietnamese Ao Dai - Rising Vietnam”, is a mass folk dance with around 3,000 participants, expected to draw over 50,000 attendees from across the city.
The 11th HCM City Ao Dai Festival, themed “Vietnamese Ao Dai - Rising Vietnam”, opens on March 7 (Photo: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) - The 11th HCM City Ao Dai Festival, themed “Vietnamese Ao Dai - Rising Vietnam”, opened on March 7 with a vibrant ceremony on Nguyen Hue walking street.
Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan attending the opening ceremony of the festival, which takes place on the occasion of the 115th anniversary of International Women’s Day.
In his opening remarks, Chairman of HCM City People's Committee Nguyen Van Duoc, highlighted the festival’s role in celebrating Vietnamese culture and honoring the contributions of women to the nation.
This year’s event coincides with the 50th anniversary of the South’s liberation and reflects the city’s growth, he added.
The festival features nearly 60 ao dai designers and over 30 ambassadors from various fields.
The highlight is a mass folk dance with around 3,000 participants, expected to draw over 50,000 attendees from across the city.
Activities include art performances, a painting contest, an online photo competition, and exhibitions focused on the national dress. In addition, there will be a programme donating ao dai to women’s union members.
𓆉 The southern metropolis considers event-based tourism one of the seven pillars of its tourism development strategy. This year, it aims to attract 8.5 million international visitors and 45 million domestic tourists, with projected tourism revenue reaching 260 trillion VND (10.18 billion USD), or approximately 13% of the city's GRDP./.
In celebration of the 115th anniversary of International Women’s Day (March 8, 1910 -2025) and other significant national events, the Vietnam Women’s Union has launched "Ao Dai Week" from March 1 to 8, 2025. This initiative aims to spread awareness, inspire community engagement, and reinforce the responsibility of preserving and promoting Vietnam’s cultural heritage.
National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Thanh reaffirmed that Vietnam remains firmly committed to promoting gender equality and empowering women at a meeting in Hanoi on March 4 with Caroline Nyamayemombe, UN Women Representative in Vietnam, and Michaela Bauer, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Vietnam.
Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang called on the international community to boost actions to dismantle barriers and create an environment where women and girls can engage in and contribute more to science.
Vietnam’s cinematic appeal lies in its diverse settings, from terraced mountains and limestone karsts to bustling markets and ancient towns. Its mix of ethnic vibes, buzzing street life, and old traditions gives directors a goldmine for storytelling.
The Vietnamese team will gather on June 26 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, where they will train until July 14 before departing for Indonesia for the ASEAN U23 Championship 2025, which runs from July 15 to 29. Vietnam will face Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22 in the group stage.
The exhibition showcases more than 100 valuable documents and artifacts, divided into two main parts: “Journalist Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh” and “President Ho Chi Minh – Founder and Mentor of Vietnamese Revolutionary Press.” This is an opportunity to recall the late leader’s journalism journey and affirm his exceptional role in founding and guiding the revolutionary press in Vietnam.
For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
