HCM CITY – The Family Festival Day 2016 held last weekend by HCM City’s Women’s Association to celebrate National Family Day (June 28) attracted thousands of young people.

Around 100 young married couples visited 23/9 Park in District 1 to participate in seminars on relationships between children and parents, family and society, and youth’s problems in modern families.

The participants and their children took part in sports, music and cooking competitions during the event.

A music and song programme, called Em Vui Chơi-Em Sáng Tạo (I Enjoy Playing-I Enjoy Creations), opened on Sunday night featuring dozens of famous artists such as Vietnamese-American singer Quang Lê and cải lương (reformed opera) performer Bạch Tuyết.

The programme attracted hundreds of children and their parents to sing and dance, and play traditional games together. 

"We hope to encourage family unity through our event. Like other organisations in the city, we have organised many activities to call upon people to pay more attention to children and their families during the month of Family Day ,” said Nguyễn Thị Thu Mai, a member of the event’s organising board.

"Creating happy families, fostering comfortable and egalitarian lives, and nurturing good parents and children are our goal," she said.

Working closely with the Population, Family and Children Committee, the city’s Women Cultural House will organise a meeting on Tuesday to introduce and praise 150 model families, especially young parents and their children, who have faced challenges to ensure their happiness.

The model mothers and fathers, who are popular young artists, will be invited to share their experiences and valuable lessons about love and career. 

Celebrations began last weekend by local organisers and offices, featuring sports, music, cooking competitions and seminars on topics popular with young married couples, including problems confronting modern family life. 

With the theme of this year’s National Family Day "Happy Meal in Every Family", family authorities hope to encourage and remind people, whether parents or children, to spend time to strengthen their relationships.   

"Modern lifestyles in the market economy are threatening traditional family values," said Mai, adding that even though the growing number of young couples seemed confident and dynamic at work, they were not taking enough time to care for their family members and children. 

Family Day, which has been held for 15 years by the Population, Family and Children Committee, is one of the country’s most important events to promote the family.

"We give our parents money and gifts but we don’t understand that our parents need us to be around more than anything else," said Nguyễn Văn Hậu, 28, who takes care of all nine members of his family, including his grandparents.

He will visit a family festival launched by the authorities of Bình Thạnh District on Tuesday night.

Hậu said he and his wife would join a forum on love and responsibilities of family members by experts and educators at the event.  

“I think the authorities should encourage young couples to take courses on love, marriage, family, and sexual and reproductive health care,” he said.VNS