HÀ NỘI – Amateur artistes representing the Vietnamese community impressed the local audience in Pisek, the Czech Republic, during their first participation at the International Folk Arts Festival held from August 18 to 20.

A dance performed to the song entitled Việt Nam – My Homeland by composer Đỗ Nhuận on the opening night of the festival, accompanied by colourful costumes and charming Asian dancing movements, was considered a success.

The 22nd edition of the folk art festival aimed at being a playground of interaction for foreign communities in Pisek.

Pavel Bruzek, an organiser of the festival, expressed his happiness at the Vietnamese community’s participation.

“Though many Vietnamese people have lived and worked in the area for a long time, this is the first time the festival has welcomed the Vietnamese community,” he said, “I am really impressed with Vietnamese dancers, though they are totally amateur when compared with professional dancers from India, Austria, Georgia and Poland, besides Slovakia.”

Quê Hương (Homeland), the dancing team of the Vietnamese community in the Czech Republic, includes businesswomen working in the country.

They often used their free time at night to practise for the performance.

According to Nguyễn Văn Biên, director of the Vietnamese Community Association in Pisek, there are about 300 Vietnamese people living in the city and the surrounding areas. Most of them are involved in the clothing trade, food and beauty care services, or work in factories.

“The association was established a year ago and has organised various activities for connecting Vietnamese people in Pisek and for doing charity work for the homeland,” he said. — VNS