Traditional dancing: Vietnamese students rehearse with nón quai thao (flat-top hat). -- Photo coutersy of UCL Vietsoc

HÀ NỘI — Vietfest 2016, the second year of the festival, will be held at University College London (UCL) on March 14 to introduce Việt Nam’s unique and charming culture to local people.

Launched last year by the Vietnamese Society Overseas in UCL (UCL Vietsoc), the festival aims to popularise the art, food and people of Việt Nam among Londoners, besides other people in Britain.

Visitors to the festival will get a chance to enjoy authentic Vietnamese dishes that will be cooked there by chefs from Vietnamese restaurants in London.

Amateur artists from Vietsoc will present an art show, including folk music, on an open-air stage. They will charm audiences by dancing with nón lá (conical leaf hat) and nón quai thao (flat-top hat). The performance will have modern dancing and songs.

Photographs of Việt Nam and its people will be displayed at the festival, giving visitors a kaleidoscope of Vietnamese culture.

“Vietfest 2016 is not only a chance for the local people to know more about Vietnamese culture, but also to strengthen solidarity among Vietnamese overseas students,” Đỗ Thanh Thanh An, chairman of UCL Vietsoc, said.

The festival organisers want to convey a message that all Vietnamese overseas students should be proud of being Vietnamese and their traditional culture.

“UCL Vietsoc wants the students to be more active in making Vietnamese culture popular among international friends. We are joining hands to introduce Vietnamese culture to the world,” An said. — VNS