HCM City (VNA) – A celebration to mark the traditional New Year festival of Cambodia,Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand was held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 11.
The eventwas co-organised by the HCM City Union of Friendship Organisations (HUFO) andthe Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS)’s HCM City chapter.
It wasattended by Most Venerable Thich Thien Tam, Vice President of the VBS’sExecutive Council and deputy head of the VBS’s HCM City chapter; representativesof Consulates General of Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand; and people from thesecountries who are living in the southern city.
Addressingthe event, HUFO Vice President and General Secretary Nguyen Van Manh said thecelebration is hoped to bolster mutual understanding between Vietnam andneighbouring countries, bringing practical benefits for national building anddevelopment of each nation.
Hestressed that Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand have enhancedcooperation over the years as close neighbours in the ASEAN Community. People fromthese countries have helped each other during their struggles for nationalindependence in the past and national construction and development at present,towards building an ASEAN Community of peace, stability, cooperation, andprosperity.
LuonBunvadh, a representative of the Cambodian Consulate General in HCM City, saidthe event offers a chance for people of participating countries to strengthensolidarity, adding that Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam sharevarious cultural similarities.
The New Year festival, called Chol Chnam Thmay inCambodia, Bunpimay in Laos, Thingyan in Myanmar and Songkran in Thailand, takesplace in April every year, attracting tourists with displays of traditionalculture, a festive atmosphere, and water splashing traditions to wash away badluck and pray for a good new year. –VNA
Some 500 Laos students, who are studying in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, gathered on April 7 to celebrate their traditional New Year festival of Bunpimay.
Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Tran Thanh Man has sent Chol Chnam Thmay festival greetings to Cambodia.
Permanent Vice Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City’s Party Committee Tran Luu Quang held a meeting on April 10 with Lao and Cambodian students on the occasion of their New Year festival.
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.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
At the celebration (Photo: VNA) 
