Promoting cultural diplomacy of the beauty of the Ancestral Land

Implementing the guidelines and policies of the Party and the State, along with promoting political diplomacy and economic diplomacy activities, in recent years, Phu Tho has taken advantage of the locality’s strengths to promote cultural diplomacy activities to enhance understanding and promote the province’s image to international friends, contributing to maintaining, upholding, and promoting the friendly and cooperative relationship between Phu Tho and localities abroad.

A working delegation from the Hwaseong City Council, South Korea, visited Hung Lo ancient village, Viet Tri city.

In recent years, Phu Tho’s cultural diplomacy has developed significantly, while also playing a role as a way to spread cultural values and people, promote the image, and enhance the position and voice of the province in the international arena. Cultural diplomacy activities have been and are being implemented by the province in many diverse forms, such as: promoting foreign information and propaganda activities; cultural and artistic exchange activities; organizing cultural events; participating in international cultural organizations; promoting the role of overseas Vietnamese in promoting cultural exchange activities...

The diversity of cultural heritage types is one of the strengths for Phu Tho to develop cultural diplomacy activities associated with tourism development. During major holidays of the province as well as the country, especially on the occasion of the Hung Kings' death anniversary-the Hung King Temple Festival every year-cultural diplomacy activities are enhanced and integrated. The province also regularly organizes and participates in cultural exchange activities on the occasion of holidays, Tet, weeks, and Vietnamese cultural days in other countries; on the occasion of the anniversary of even years, full years, the establishment of diplomatic relations, National Day, and important events of countries and twinned localities such as: Luang Namtha, Luang Prabang (Lao People’s Democratic Republic), Nara (Japan), Shanxi (China), Hwaseong City (Korea)...

Hung Kings' death anniversary-Hung King Temple Festival together with 2 representative intangible cultural heritages of humanity, “Phu Tho Xoan Singing” and “Hung King Worship in Phu Tho,” not only attract domestic tourists but also international friends. Every year, millions of tourists as well as overseas Vietnamese return to pay tribute to their ancestors and attend the Hung King Temple Festival. Emotion and pride are the common feelings of the overseas Vietnamese youth delegation attending the 2024 Vietnam Summer Camp visiting the Hung King Temple Historical Site.

Listening attentively to the explanations at the relic site, 19-year-old Bui Duc Hung, currently living in Slovakia, shared: "As a Vietnamese living abroad, I always hope to have the opportunity to learn about Vietnamese history. Ever since I was a child, my parents have told me about the origins and the country of Vietnam. I feel extremely proud to be a descendant of the Dragon and the Fairy, proud of the long-standing cultural traditions of the nation. I hope that there will be many meaningful programs so that young people born and raised abroad like me can return to their homeland, learn about their origins, and be proud of their nation, of the Hung Kings, and of their origins."

Overseas Vietnamese youth delegation visits the Hung Kings Temple Historical Relic Site.

Phu Tho, the land of origin, is rich in historical and cultural traditions with 967 historical and cultural relics, hundreds of unique folk festivals, and many beautiful natural landscapes. This is a great advantage for the province to attract international visitors in order to promote the tourism development calendar.

Along with the policy mechanism and resources from the budget, the province always pays attention to attracting social resources from organizations, individuals, and enterprises to support and invest in the development of culture and the arts; organize cultural foreign affairs activities, tourism promotion programs, investment, and trade cooperation in provinces and cities of other countries.

In the programs and activities, there is an integration of introducing and promoting the beauty of the land and people of the Ancestral Land, thereby creating effective communication about the image of the province with rich potential, many opportunities for investment cooperation, trade, and attractive tourism to agencies, organizations, enterprises, investors, and friends at home and abroad.

In addition, within the framework of cultural exchange cooperation with other countries, based on cultural and historical similarities, the province has developed and implemented trade promotion programs, investment incentive policies, and participated in fairs and exhibitions with integrated programs promoting investment potential and opportunities, cultural exchange, and tourism.

Integrating cultural diplomacy activities into the province’s strengths such as: Community ecotourism, festival tourism, traditional craft village tourism and organizing international exhibitions, marketing handicraft products, OCOP products, local specialties, introducing literature, fine arts, etc of the province to international friends; promoting cultural diplomacy activities in people-to-people diplomacy; regularly coordinating with universities of foreign localities to carry out cultural exchanges and interactions between students of the province and students of other countries; promoting the promotion of unique traditional art forms such as: Xoan singing, Cheo singing, Gheo singing, Chau Van singing that Phu Tho province has always paid attention to, made efforts to protect and maintain over the years, and at the same time building high-quality art performance programs that both meet domestic enjoyment needs and effectively introduce Vietnamese art in general, Phu Tho in particular, to other countries.

Along with that, through various media channels, the province has promoted the land, culture, and people of the Ancestral Land to the domestic and international public, creating conditions for many central and international news agencies to work in the province with many special topics introducing the province’s unique culture.

Mr. Du Van Quang, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs, said, "Local cooperation is one of the bright spots in the province’s cultural diplomacy picture. In the coming time, to continue to improve the quality of cultural diplomacy activities, Phu Tho will continue to improve the quality of organizing traditional cultural festivals in the province. At the same time, to effectively implement cultural diplomacy activities, every year the Department of Foreign Affairs regularly develops plans and improves knowledge of cultural diplomacy for officials working in cultural diplomacy of the province and localities; organizes training courses on foreign affairs knowledge in general and cultural diplomacy in particular, knowledge on organizing cultural events with foreign elements in localities, contributing to the effective implementation of the province’s foreign affairs work".

Thu Giang