Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City to host Belgian Week 2016

“Belgian Week in Viet Nam” is scheduled to take place in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City from November 12-19 for the first time, in commemoration of Belgium’s “King’s Day” which falls on November 15.

The event is organised by the Belgian Embassy in Viet Nam in collaboration with the Belgian Development Agency, Délégation Wallonie-Bruxelles, Flanders Investment and Brussels Invest & Export, along with support from Belgian development partners.

A “Belgian Day” will be organised on November 13 at Summer Park in Ecopark in Van Giang District, Hung Yen Province, offering participants opportunities to discover Belgian culture, literature, cinema, education, regions, cities, nature and enterprises.

Famous Belgium specialties such as chocolate, waffles, beer, and many others will be introduced at the event, where participants will have the chance to win various prizes in a lottery, as well as other activities at the book corner, games on traffic safety, helmet decoration, and quizzes.

Winners of the photo contest “My Belgium” opened to Vietnamese citizens on August 22 will be announced during the day. An exhibition showcasing the best pictures of Belgium through Vietnamese eyes will be open to the public.

Tickets for the event cost VND150,000 (US$6.75) for adults and VND50,000 (US$2.25) for children.

As part of the week, famous Belgian DJ and producer ATTAR! will perform at Ha Noi Rock City on November 12 and at Piu Piu in Ho Chi Minh City on November 18.

In addition, internationally renowned Jazz pianist Jef Neve will mark Belgian “King’s day” on November 15 at the Temple of Literature in Ha Noi and at the Opera House in Ho Chi Minh City on November 18.

Following the event, at the beginning of December, a trade mission with numerous companies from Flanders and Brussels will visit Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City to seek business opportunities.

Viet Nam and Belgium established diplomatic relations in 1973. Since then, bilateral ties have developed strongly in various fields, such as trade and investment, education, water management, public health, agricultural growth and cultural exchanges.