The press conference of ASEAN Children Festival.

The festival aims to provide a platform for ASEAN children to exchange culture and enhance solidarity as well as promote the mage of Vietnam and its people. A colourful art party featuring music and dance performances by children from seven ASEAN countries, South Korea and China to be held tonight will open the ASEAN+ Children Festival.
This year’s Festival, ranging till Sunday, welcomes children from art centres, art troupes, choir team, dance troupes and schools of seven ASEAN countries – Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia – and South Korea and China.
ASEAN Children Festival 2017 with themed “A Journey of Discovery”, the festival gives participant children an opportunity to learn more about Vietnam’s culture through trips to the Museum of Ethnology, Thang Long water puppet theatre as well as Long Viet Agricultural Park.
In addition, a highlight of this year's festival, the street carnival to be held on Saturday, will feature a parade, games, music and dance performanced in the pedestrian zone, a tourist attraction in Hanoi on this Saturday June 3. Traditional folk dance, music, choir or hip hop performance are expected to bring a cheerful and energetic atmosphere for children.
According to Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vương Duy Bien, The ASEAN community has been established for fifty years. So, with children being our future, it is important to build a playground for them to communicate and know more about the cultures of different countries.
In addition, according to Deputy Director of Vietnam Television, Pham Viet Tien, ASEAN Children Festival is a meaningful event, the first festival held last year proved its success in building friendship among children and enhancing solidarity in ASEAN bloc. With a range of activities featured in this year's festival, we hope to convey our message that the whole world can join hands to care for and nurture the young generation towards a bright future.
According to Thai delegate from Udom Darunee elementary school, this is the first time they’ve joined ASEAN Children Festival. They expect to have new friends, and would love to have opportunity to know more about culture of Vietnam, especially nón lá and Ao Dai.