The Embassy of Sri Lanka in Ha Noi participated in the 1 st Hanoi World Cultures Day, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, held from 10 to 12 September 2025 at the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Ha Noi.
The festival was officially inaugurated by Mr. Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, and was attended by senior government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and a large number of visitors. The event aimed to celebrate cultural diversity and strengthen friendship among nations represented in Viet Nam.
The Embassy of Sri Lanka took part in several key segments of the festival, including the National Booth, Food and Beverage Exhibition, Book Stall, Gastronomy Show, Fashion Show, and the Photo Exhibition on the Road of Cultures. The Sri Lanka National Booth was attractively decorated with traditional handicrafts, cultural artifacts, and photographs of Sri Lanka’s renowned tourist attractions including UNESCO World Heritage sites, creating an immersive experience for visitors. One of the highlights of the booth was the opportunity for visitors to read Vietnamese-translated version of the book “The Cultural Triangle of Sri Lanka”, translated by the Long Hong Pagoda in Ha Noi. The book generated great enthusiasm among Vietnamese visitors eager to learn about Sri Lanka’s cultural heritage.
A key attraction at the booth was the to try on traditional Sri Lankan attire, which drew significant interest and appreciation from the public. During the Gastronomy Show, Mr. Raveen Vidyarathna, a Sri Lankan chef based in Ha Noi, presented a live cooking demonstration of the popular Sri Lankan street food “Kottu Roti”. The audience enjoyed both the performance and the tasting session, which also featured an introduction to a variety of authentic Sri Lankan spices.
In the Fashion Show segment, four Vietnamese students from the Ha Noi University of Finance and Banking showcased traditional Sri Lankan Osariya made from Batik fabric and the National, highlighting the elegance and creativity of Sri Lankan design traditions.
Throughout the event, the Embassy distributed tourism brochures and Ceylon Tea and other promotional materials, generating wide publicity and strong interest in Sri Lanka as a cultural and travel destination.
The Embassy’s participation in the festival contributed to further enhancing people-to-people contact and strengthening cultural ties between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam, while promoting greater understanding and appreciation of Sri Lanka’s rich cultural heritage among the Vietnamese public.
