ASEAN water festival meeting held

Representatives from the embassies of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar in Vietnam as well as local representatives came together at the Water Festivals in ASEAN countries: New Year, New Beginning meeting on April 14 to discuss the region’s beautiful culture. On the Vietnamese side were representatives from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Water festivals are a source of pride in ASEAN culture,” Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said at the opening ceremony. “Regional countries all have diverse and colorful cultures. Culture is also an important pillar that helps ASEAN come together as one under a multicultural and multiethnic roof with a common vision.”

“The cultural festivals of ASEAN, including the water festivals of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Thailand, represent a unique beauty within the ASEAN community,” said Mr. Phan Minh Giang, Deputy Director General of the ASEAN Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Culture acts as a bridge in ASEAN, in diversity, unity, and solidarity.”

The gathering was organized by C asean Vietnam, a not-for-profit organization under the Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev). “C asean Vietnam is C asean’s first branch outside of Thailand,” Mr. Nguyen Hai Son from C asean Vietnam explained. “Under Thai Bev, C asean is a not-for-profit organization aiming to create a platform to connect ASEAN communities, focusing on the three key pillars of business and sustainability, leadership and talent development, and arts and culture.”

“It frequently hosts activities to create conversations on arts and culture in ASEAN, seeing it as a common language to strengthen links and understanding in the region. We will look for opportunities to organize the C asean Consonant, our traditional assembly, with ten artists from 10 countries in ASEAN.”