Theevent is co-organised by the Indian Embassy, the Indian Ministry ofCulture and the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism(MoCST).
Addressing the opening ceremony, MoCST DeputyMinister Vuong Duy Bien said the festival is a vivid manifestation ofthe active cultural exchange between the two countries, and will helpenhance the bilateral friendship and strategic cooperation.
Echoing Bien’s views, Indian Deputy Culture Minister Ravindra Singh saidIndia has always considered Vietnam a pillar in the country’s Look EastPolicy within the framework of the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN) and other mechanisms.
He stressed thatcultural exchange between the two countries has been institutionalisedthrough a cultural cooperative programme inked in 2011, adding thatIndia will establish an Indian cultural centre in Vietnam in 2014 toboost the friendship.
Apart from Hanoi, the festival willcome to the central city of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City, featuringIndian folk dances, songs, food, Buddhism, Yoga and Mehndi – the art ofbody painting, said Indian Ambassador Preeti Saran.
The festival will last until March 15.-VNA