HCM CITY — More than 800,000 local and international visitors are expected to participate in a South Korea culture expo to be held in HCM City next month.

Speaking at the press conference held on Wednesday, Đoàn Tuấn Linh, deputy director of the HCM City’s Department of External Affairs, said the HCM City-Gyeongju World Culture Expo 2017, co-hosted by Việt Nam and South Korea, will run from November 11 to December 3.

The event, which will promote cultural exchanges and economic cooperation between South Korea and Việt Nam, is expected to attract local citizens, members of the Korean community and other expatriates living in the city.

The Gyeongju World Culture Expo, which began in 1998 and was put on by the Gyeongsangbuk-do provincial government and the Gyeongju city government, will be the third of its kind to be held overseas following the first event in Angkor Wat, Cambodia in 2006, and the second one in Istanbul, Turkey in 2013, according to Linh.

Kim Jang Joo, deputy governor of Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, said the Gyeongju World Culture Expo is one of the most significant festivals of South Korea and has been organised eight times, both in and outside South Korea, attracting around 17 million visitors.    

Themed “Exhibition on Civilisation Exchanges through the Old Sea”, this year’s event will feature more than 30 programmes that combine the two countries’ traditional cultures, bringing to light the values of historical and cultural heritage in Gyeongju and Việt Nam.
The event will include the opening ceremony, a parade, a variety of performances, a special exhibition on the two countries’ cultural exchanges and an event involving South Korean residents in the Southeast Asian country, among others.

Venues for the programmes are HCM City’s major tourist attractions and its historic places, including Nguyễn Huệ Pedestrian Street, September 23 Park, HCM City Hall plaza, Reunification Palace and the Opera House.

The opening ceremony will be held at Nguyễn Huệ Pedestrian Street with expected participation of more than 1,200 visitors.

Artists from 15 countries, including Russia, China, India, Turkey, Thailand, Slovakia, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Latvia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Kuwait and Malaysia, will perform during the opening ceremony.

Organisers selected HCM City as the stage for the event as it is home to many South Korean firms and expats and has an extensive road network.

Gyeongju in Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, 370km southeast of Seoul, was the former capital of the ancient Korean kingdom of Silla (from 57 BC to AD 935), which ruled about two-thirds of the Korean Peninsula between the 7th and 9th centuries. A large number of archaeological sites and cultural properties from this period remain in the city. — VNS