Claudia Roth, a member of the German Bundestag, visits the Vietnamese booth at the festival.— VNA/VNS Photo

BERLIN — The Vietnamese community in Germany's southern Bavaria state has taken part in the Augsburg Multicultural Summer Festival 2026 as an honoured guest, helping to promote the image of Việt Nam and strengthen people-to-people exchanges.

The festival was held in Augsburg, the third-largest city in Bavaria, with the participation of more than 20 booths representing various countries, aiming to honour cultural diversity and promote interaction among local communities.

The Vietnamese booth attracted a large number of visitors with traditional dishes such as nem cuốn (fresh spring rolls) and bún chả (grilled pork with vermicelli), along with displays of áo dài (traditional long dress), conical hats and cultural performances imbued with Vietnamese identity. These activities helped spread Vietnamese culture and foster understanding and closer ties between the Vietnamese community, German residents and international friends.

The programme was jointly organised by Hương Việt Magazine, an online magazine for Vietnamese people in Germany, the Việt Nam–Germany Association in Schwaben and the Vietnamese Association in Freising, Bavaria.

During their visit to the Vietnamese booth, Claudia Roth, a member of the German Bundestag, and Martin Schenkelberg, head of the Integration and Social Affairs Department of Augsburg, highly appreciated the contributions of the Vietnamese community to cultural promotion, people-to-people exchanges and friendship between Việt Nam and Germany. They also said they were impressed by Việt Nam's traditional cuisine and distinctive cultural heritage.

Phạm Khánh Nam, Editor-in-Chief of Hương Việt Magazine, said the festival provided an opportunity to introduce the image of a dynamic Việt Nam that is rich in cultural identity and proactive in international integration, while strengthening connections with European partners and expanding cooperation in culture, trade, investment and sustainable development.

Such exchange activities also help enhance mutual understanding and create favourable conditions for Việt Nam to effectively tap opportunities arising from the EU–Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), thereby promoting substantive and sustainable economic and trade cooperation between Việt Nam and the European Union, he added.

Việt Nam's presence at the Augsburg Multicultural Summer Festival 2026 once again affirmed the role of cultural diplomacy and people-to-people exchanges in enhancing mutual understanding and trust, contributing to the consolidation of friendship and cooperation between Việt Nam and Germany as well as other international partners. — VNA/VNS