The 2nd edition of Namaste Vietnam Festival (Hello Việt Nam Festival) was held in the 3 southern cities of Vietnam viz. Ho Chi Minh(HCM) City, Da Lat city(Central Highlands province) and Tuy Hoa city (south-central coastal province) from 12th to 20th August 2023.
- The theme of the 2nd Namaste Vietnam Festival was “People unite, warm friendship”
- The festival is an intersection of culture and commerce, creating the basis for promoting bilateral relations to promote tourism, trade, art, culture, music and film.
Objective:
To enhance cultural understanding and people-to-people exchanges, and strengthening the bond between both countries.
Organizers:
It was jointly organised by the Indian Embassy, Consulate General of India in Vietnam under the aegis of Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India, IFFW (Indian Film Festival Worldwide) and Innovations India.
Note: The first ever Namaste Vietnam Festival was held in HCM City and Nha Trang in Vietnam from 12th August – 12th September 2022. It was a major programme to celebrate the 75th anniversary of India’s Independence Day and the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-India diplomatic ties.
Highlights:
i.The festival was Curated by Internationally Acclaimed Festival Curator Captain Rahul Bali.
ii.It was opened by the well-known Bollywood actor Anupam Kher & filmmaker-actor Rahul Mittra in the Hoa Binh Theatre, Ho Chi Minh City’s biggest performing arts venue.
iii.The significant component of the festival includes an Indian Film Festival featuring the World Premiere of 2 Indian Films – Anupam Kher’s ‘The Signature’ & Rahat Kazmi’s ‘Kaya Palat’ which also were the opening and closing films at the festival.
- Anupam Kher’s The signature was the first ever world premier of a Hindi film in Vietnam.
Key Points:
The festival showcased a diverse array of activities, including
i.India – Vietnam Railway Cooperation Seminar: Indian delegation, led by Anshul Gupta, including representatives from major railway enterprises like Railtel, JMV, GG Tronics, and others, engaged with Vietnam Railway Authority and Vietnam Railways to enhance Vietnam’s railway network.
ii.India – Vietnam Tourism Cooperation Seminar: Over 30 Indian tour operators connected with 50+ Vietnamese counterparts in multiple cities to discuss mutual tourism promotion in both countries.
MOU’s Worth USD 1 Billion Inked
As part of the 2nd Namaste Vietnam Festival, various seminars and meetings led to the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth over USD 1 billion between Indian and Vietnam businesses.
- The MoUs were signed across 3 major sectors: Railways, Tourism, and Cinema
- Consul General of India Dr. Madan Mohan Sethi and provincial leaders witnessed the MOU signings.
Railways:
Indian enterprises like RailTel Corporation of India Limited (RailTel), Ashoka Buildcon Limited, Efftronics Systems Pvt. Ltd, and JMV LPS Limited signed MOUs with Vietnam’s Hoa Binh Group and Vietnam – International Entrepreneurs Networking Club (VIENC) during India Vietnam Railway Cooperation Seminar.
- Vietnam plans to build 2000 km of new track for Trans Vietnam High-Speed Rail by 2030, investing over USD 58 billion.
- Vietnam Railways is looking for transfer of expertise and technology in various fields like modernization, signalling and safety systems and plans to partner with the Indian Companies in railway projects of Vietnam.
- The MoUs between the above entities focused on technology transfer and expertise for Vietnam Railways’ upgrade.
Tourism:
Over 10 MOUs signed between Indian tour operators and leading hotels/tour companies in Ho Chi Minh City, Dalat, Phu Yen, Ha Nam, and Hanoi during India – Vietnam Tourism Cooperation Seminars.
Cinema:
To boost the cultural relations between India & Vietnam, a MoU was signed between the Government of Phu Yen province of Vietnam and the Curator of Namaste Vietnam Festival, Captain Rahul Bali towards film cooperation and collaboration in Film Making.
Recent Related News:
i.Minister of National Defence of Vietnam, General Phan Van Giang was on a 2 day visit to India from 18th to 19th June 2023. During his visit, he held bilateral talks with Union Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, Delhi.
ii.On 4th June 2023, Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of state (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology inaugurated the two-day “Lavender Festival” in Bhaderwah Valley of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). While inaugurating the festival, Jitendra Singh stated that Bhaderwah has emerged as the Lavender capital of India and a prominent Agri-Start-up destination.
About Vietnam:
Capital– Hanoi
Currency– Vietnamese dong
Prime Minister– Pham Minh Chinh
