The Toucher Arts project is honoured to receive the Việt Nam International Award 2024. — Photo courtesy of Toucher Arts

HÀ NỘI — Toucher Arts, a youth-led cultural initiative, has been honoured with the Creative Arts Award for its contributions to promoting Vietnamese culture on the international stage, at the 2024 Vietnam International Awards in London. 

The Việt Nam International Awards, judged by a panel of experts, including Irena Zubcevic, from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs and Professor Caroline Makaka, founder of Loani, recognised Toucher Arts for its meaningful work in preserving and sharing Vietnamese culture.

By blending cultural innovation with community engagement, Toucher Arts has quietly but significantly connected Vietnamese traditions with audiences worldwide.

Established in 2022 by the Art Space Association in France and musician Hoàng Thu Trang, Toucher Arts has brought together Vietnamese youth from around the world to share their heritage through art and creativity.

In the two years since its founding, Toucher Arts has organised six international exhibitions and a series of concerts that showcase Vietnamese culture, most particularly in France.

Toucher Arts’s activities have been organised in many cities in France. — Photo courtesy of Toucher Arts

The project’s aim is to provide young people with a platform to express their connection to Vietnamese traditions, while introducing these cultural elements to broader audiences. The group has gathered 60 official members and hundreds of volunteers from 14 different countries to promote Vietnamese arts, music and customs.

A highlight of Toucher Arts' recent work was the production of a documentary titled 'Tea, Áo Dài and Việt Nam' created by members aged 13 to 18.

The film, screened at the Lutétia Cinema in Nantes and the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in Paris, offers a thoughtful reflection on Vietnamese traditions. Alongside its artistic endeavours, Toucher Arts has raised funds to support five orphanages in Việt Nam and helped build an art room for the Xuân Phú Children Protection Centre. 

The Việt Nam International Awards is an annual awards ceremony designed to honour the contributions of overseas Vietnamese and foreigners in various fields, including culture, education, gastronomy, trade promotion, volunteering and community engagement. — VNS