Festival brings Vietnamese culture to northwestern France
VOV.VN - The city of Lorient, a port city in the Brittany region of northwestern France, in coordination with ART SPACE, Vietnam Bretagne Sud and Appel Lorient associations, organised the fourth Festival Vietnam from June 16 to 19, with the participation of more than 50 Vietnamese youths, students and young artists from numerous countries.
Festival Vietnam helps strengthen cultural exchanges and friendship between Vietnam and France through programmes in arts, film, education and community activities as part of celebrations marking the 360th anniversary of Lorient’s establishment,
Fabrice Loher, Mayor of Lorient, said the festival offers the public an opportunity to discover the beauty of Vietnamese culture while deepening greater understanding, dialogue and connection among communities.
Through arts, film and meaningful community activities, the festival contributes to enriching the city’s cultural life and boosting France-Vietnam friendship.
Throughout the festival, a wide range of cultural exchange and experiential activities were launched at schools, hospitals, nursing homes and facilities for people with disabilities across Lorient.
Sophie Lespex, an education specialist at L’IME Disability Centre in Lanester, said children responded enthusiastically to the activities, adding that she believed they will continue talking about and sharing their experiences for a long time.
From French schoolchildren to elderly residents, participants explored Vietnamese culture through lion dances, folk games and familiar folktales retold through paper puppet performances.
Traditional cultural workshops, including paper fan making, bamboo tray decoration and sessions exploring Vietnamese music, also drew strong interest.
A highlight of the programme was the Viet Phuc parade held on June 19 at the square in front of Lorient’s Grand Theatre.
More than 50 young Vietnamese and people of Vietnamese origin from different countries presented Vietnam’s traditional attire across historical periods, giving the French public an opportunity to discover a cultural heritage rich in identity and vitality.
Alongside community cultural activities, the Viet Culture in Motion International Short Documentary Film Festival took place at Cinéville Lorient from June 16 to 18, featuring short documentaries on Vietnamese culture produced by young filmmakers in Vietnam and the Vietnamese community worldwide.
Covering topics ranging from traditional crafts and family memories to the lives of ethnic minority communities and everyday life, each film offered a distinct perspective on a Vietnam in motion.
As part of the festival’s European film programme, which includes 14 screenings in Paris, Lorient, Prague and Brussels from June 11-July 5, Lorient was one of the key stops in bringing stories of Vietnamese culture to international audiences.
According to Thuy Kernen, President of Vietnam Bretagne Sud Association, Vietnamese culture becomes a true bridge connecting people when it reaches children in schools, elderly people in nursing homes, and those in hospitals and disability support centres.
She noted that the positive response from the French public over the past four years shows the strong appeal of stories about a youthful, vibrant and culturally rich Vietnam.
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