A European village in the heart of Hanoi

The program entitled “European Village” takes place at Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi and attracts a lot of visitors. A circus show on Dinh Tien Hoang Street by French street artists. A playground for children in Ly Thai To Square. Many European booths focus on space for books as a way of introducing the unique culture of European countries to Vietnamese people. A Polish boy stamps a “visa” for visitors at his country’s booth. The embassies of the EU member states introduce their countries to visitors in many ways. Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam Pereric Högberg welcomes visitors to Sweden’s booth. Introducing European culinary features to visitors. Two Hungarian artists play 500 year-old tárogatós – a Hungarian cultural heritage. Vietnamese children enjoy playing street hockey with players from the Czech Republic. Visitors pose with famous people photos in front of the British Embassy’s booth. Vietnamese children dance with dancers from the Republic of Ireland. Vietnamese people in ethnic costumes of Bulgaria before a performance at Ly Thai To Square during the event.

‘European Village’ consisted of 30 activities on various subjects, ranging from traditional products and culinary experiences to creative games for kids, where a play space for children was highlighted. These included a workshop about wooden games for children (Germany and France), activities for children (Poland), environmental awareness activities (Spain) and mini games organized by the EU delegation.

The music and dance performances of 18 EU member states were done on Dinh Tien Hoang Street. Hanoians and foreign tourists enjoyed the beautiful voices of singers from EU member states. Visitors were really impressed by an acapella performance by a French beatbox crew Berywarm, a jazz performance by Dutch musicians, a stilt walking show by 50 Belgium artists, a street hockey match by players from the Czech Republic, a Chula fashion show by Spanish designers, a contemporary circus show by Be Clowns and a folk music performance by Hungarian singer József Terék.

Vietnamese artists also participated in Europe days in Vietnam with a special concert, featuring talented Vietnamese violinist Bui Cong Duy and the Vietnam Classical Players. The music of European composers including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Fritz Kreisler, Peter Warlock, Frederic Chopin and Ludwig van Beethoven, were also performed.

During the program, visitors paid much attention to European cuisine with hundreds of popular dishes cooked under a cuisine show organized by the EU delegation.

The event included European Books Days in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, organized by the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) and the EU Delegation”. Visitors could enjoy world famous books from Austria, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, the Czech Republic, Spain, Sweden, Italy, and Belgium and meet with well-known authors in Hanoi. The special edition of “European Cultural Heritage” was chosen as the highlight that connected the quintessence of human culture and spread the message of the value of reading./.