Vietnamese artists perform at the rehearsal of a special art programme to take place during the Việt Nam Culture Week in Sweden and Denmark. Photo bvhttdl.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI – Preparation is underway for the Việt Nam Culture Week in Sweden and Denmark, with a special art performance programme approved on Monday.

The week-long festival will be from September 4 to 12 in the two Swedish cities of Stockholm and Malmo, and in Copenhagen in Denmark, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST).

It aims to celebrate the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Việt Nam and Sweden and 45 years of Việt Nam-Denmark relations.

The event will include a series of shows combining different music genres including traditional, classical and jazz.

Talented performers from the Việt Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) will join international artists in the programme in both Nordic countries.

A rehearsal took place on Monday at the VNAM. MoCST Deputy Minister Hoàng Đạo Cương attended and approved the event.

A music gala will get underway in Stockholm and a cultural exchange will be held at the Malmö Academy of Music in Sweden, with a view to boosting the friendship and mutual understanding between Việt Nam and the host country.

People's Artist Đỗ Quốc Hưng, VNAM Deputy Director, said a group of about 20 artists, lecturers and officials from the VNAM will participate in the event, many of whom have studied and worked in Sweden or Denmark.

Hưng added that the VNAM artists will join foreign friends to offer two shows on September 6 and 8 in Sweden and another on September 10 in Denmark.

Artists from the Việt Nam National Academy of Music will offer a traditional musical show at Culture Week in Sweden and Denmark. Photo toquoc.vn

Within the framework of the cultural week, the MoCST's Việt Nam Culture and Arts Exhibition Centre will also open an exhibition themed Sắc Màu Văn Hóa Việt Nam (Colours of Vietnamese Culture).

The exhibition will introduce to foreign friends unique traditional cultural and art products, such as ceramics, lacquerware and traditional costumes including the world famous dress of áo dài, bamboo and rattan weaving, silversmithing and photos of Việt Nam's heritage.

Most of the products on display during the week have won national and UNESCO awards for applied arts. There will also be displays of impressive and unique products, telling stories about Vietnamese craft villages.

A number of other activities will also take place during the week such as a Việt Nam-Sweden Trade and Investment Promotion Forum, a ceremony to celebrate the 79th National Day of Việt Nam on September 2 and the 55th anniversary of Việt Nam- Sweden relations, an áo dài fashion show. VNS

MoCST Deputy Minister Hoàng Đạo Cương (second left) chẹcks some art products that will be displayed at the cultural week. Photo courtesy of the MoCST