The event, jointly organised by the Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO Affairs Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Women’s Circle of Hanoi (AWCH), was among the first cultural exchange activities of the ASEAN Year 2020.       

It aimed to bolster exchanges between nations and introduce Vietnamese traditions and customs to foreign friends, thus tightening solidarity and friendship between ASEAN countries as well as promoting Vietnam’s images.

The event also featured a contest to make banh chung (square glutinous rice cake), with foreign ambassadors, charge d’affaires and their spouses joining local residents throughout the process of making this indispensable dish for Tet.

Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro said the event helps participants understand more about Vietnamese people’s Tet, the largest yearly festival in the country./.