The Vietnam Days in Switzerland 2021 will be held online for the first time amid the Covid-19 pandemic to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Switzerland and Vietnam diplomatic relations (October 11th, 1971 - October 11th, 2021).

The information was announced at a press conference held in Hanoi on September 24.

 Delegates at the press conference

The event not only contributes to the friendly relations between the two countries, but also promotes Vietnam’s image as an authentic yet dynamic country to the public in Switzerland and European countries.

Vietnam Days in Switzerland 2021, under the framework of Vietnam Days Abroad Program approved by Vietnamese Prime Minister, is honored to welcome special guests, such as MOFA Leader Representative, Ambassador of Switzerland to Vietnam Ivo Sieber, Ambassador of Vietnam to Switzerland Le Linh Lan; Ambassador and Head of Vietnam's Permanent Representative to the UN, WTO and other International Organizations in Geneva Le Thi Tuyet Mai; Honorary Consul of Vietnam in Switzerland Philipp Rosler (former German Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister of Economics and Technology)...

As a part of the event, well-known cultural figures will present to talk about Vietnamese culture, cuisine and landscape.

Prominent figures from intellectuals and entrepreneurs circle, namely Former Deputy Director of Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts Studies Nguyen Thi Hien, FPT Telecom Chairman Hoang Nam Tien, VinAI Research Director Bui Hai Hung, MindX CEO Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, are also invited to the event to share their stories and experiences which couple with the national development.

Besides, Lawyer Pierre Schifferli, who has been living in Ho Chi Minh City since the 1970s, and other Swiss tourists will also share their memories about Vietnam, as well as the 50-year relations between Vietnam and Switzerland.

Vietnam Days in Switzerland 2021 consists of 5 chapters including (1) Hello, Switzerland! Hello, Europe!, (2) Authentic Culture, (3) Amazing Country, (4) Future Generations, (5) See You in Vietnam.

The audience will not only have an overview of the diplomatic relations between Switzerland and Vietnam, but also discover distinctive characteristics of each country through special art performances, footages and stories shared by participants. With live broadcasting format, the event allows live comments and interaction.

On behalf of the organizing committee, Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO, under Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “Hosting this event online for the first time in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic poses huge challenges. However, we devote ourselves to make it successful. This is an opportunity to strengthen the 50-year-relation between Vietnam and Switzerland, as well as to promote the image of a youthful and vibrant Viet Nam to the public in Switzerland, including overseas Vietnamese, and in other European countries”.

“Vietnam is well-known for its fascinating culture and long-standing history, as well as world heritages. Our country is also blessed by “mother Nature” while Vietnamese people are well-prepared to integrate with the world. So, we put great efforts into this event, to promote these features to global audience”, said Mr. Tran Quoc Khanh.

Vietnam Days in Switzerland 2021 is hosted by the Department of Cultural Diplomacy and UNESCO, under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with representative agencies of Vietnam to Switzerland, the Swiss Embassy in Vietnam, Vietnam Television and LeBros. Following this event, Vietnam Days in the United States 2021 is scheduled to take place this November, contributing to the cooperation across many fields between the two countries.

Vietnam Days Abroad is an annual national promotion program, assigned by the Prime Minister to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2010. The program usually takes place on the sidelines of Vietnamese high-level leaders’ official visit to other countries, receiving positive responses from localities, international businesses, agencies, organizations and overseas Vietnamese.

Vietnam Days in Switzerland 2021 will be held from 3pm to 6pm (Vietnam time) on October 9, 2021 and will be broadcast live from 3 bridge points: main stage from Viet Nam, the Embassy of Viet Nam in Switzerland and Permanent Representative of Viet Nam to the UN, WTO and other International Organizations in Geneva.

Visitors can follow the event on Fanpage Vietnam Days Abroad, Youtube Vietnam Days Abroad, Fanpage VTV4, and Youtube VTV4.