Despite facing challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual national promotion program ‘Vietnam Days Abroad’ will return on October 9, starting with ‘Vietnam Days in Switzerland,’ an online event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Switzerland-Vietnam diplomatic relations.

An event approved by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Vietnam Days in Switzerland 2021 marks the first Vietnam Days Abroad edition to be held entirely in cyberspace.

It is to be hosted by the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with representative agencies of Vietnam in Switzerland, the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam, Vietnam Television, and PR firm Le Group.

Organized in three hours from 3:00 pm October 9 (Vietnam time), the event will feature a range of activities, including art performances, Q&A sessions, and panel discussions to promote friendly relations between the two countries, as well as an understanding of Vietnamese culture among the public in Switzerland and European countries.

It will also include retrospective stories of the 50-year diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Switzerland from special guests, namely Ivo Sieber, Ambassador of Switzerland to Vietnam, Le Linh Lan, Ambassador of Vietnam to Switzerland, Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Ambassador and Head of Vietnam's Permanent Representative to the UN, WTO and other international organizations in Geneva, as well as Philipp Rösler, Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Switzerland, former Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economics and Technology.

Prominent figures from intellectual and entrepreneur circles, namely Nguyen Thi Hien, former deputy director of the Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies, Hoang Nam Tien, chairman of FPT Telecom, Bui Hai Hung, research director of tech developer VinAI, and Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, CEO of technology school MindX, are also invited to the event to share their stories and experience in contributing to Vietnam’s latest progress in various sectors.

Well-known cultural figures are to talk about Vietnamese culture, cuisine, and landscapes, the youngest being Xeo Chu, a 12-year-old Vietnamese artist whose paintings have been showcased in various solo exhibitions and sold for thousands of U.S. dollars.

Hosting this event online for the first time in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic poses huge challenges, said Tran Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO.

“However, we devote ourselves to making it successful,” he affirmed.

As organizers see it, the event is an opportunity to strengthen the 50-year relations between Vietnam and Switzerland, as well as to promote the image of a youthful and vibrant Vietnam to the public in Switzerland, including overseas Vietnamese, and in other European countries.

Fascinating anecdotes of a young and flourishing Vietnam, from the cultural, architectural, and culinary wonders to the story of agriculture engineer Ho Quang Cua and his development of the world-class rice variety ST25 will accompany art performances and storytelling videos to keep the viewer’s attention through the show’s three-hour run, Khanh revealed during a press conference on Friday.

The event will be broadcast live through the official Facebook pages and YouTube channels of the organizers, while an edited version will be subsequently shown on national television channel VTV4, said Nguyen Phuong Lien, deputy head of VTV4 under Vietnam Television, the broadcasting partner.

The event will allow viewers to interact through live comments with the three main stages of Vietnam Television in Hanoi, the Embassy of Vietnam in Switzerland, and Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, WTO, and other international organizations in Geneva, she added.

During the press meeting on Friday, the organizers launched the official website for Vietnam Days Abroad, where more information on the show content and guests will be unfolded in the next few days.

Vietnam Days in the United States 2021 is scheduled to take place this November.

Below are images of past Vietnam Days Abroad editions in various countries:

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