VIETNAM CULTURE AND TOURISM DAY IN SKOPJE

The Vietnam Culture and Tourism Day in Skopje ended on a resounding success: a venue too small to hold nearly 300 spectators, several standing ovations, extensive media coverage in North Macedonia and in Vietnam, and a very warm reception for the Macedonian version of the VietnamConnect.vnct.org platform. A particularly promising first step in bringing Vietnamese culture and tourism closer to the general public and partners in the Balkan region.

The Vietnam Culture and Tourism Day in Skopje: a fine showcase for Vietnam in the Balkans

On 30 June 2026, the Vietnam Culture and Tourism Day in Skopje, North Macedonia, was successfully held as part of the 47th Skopje Summer Festival, one of the most prestigious cultural events in the Macedonian capital. The event was organised by the Embassy of Vietnam in Bulgaria, also accredited to North Macedonia, and by the Vietnam Culture & Tourism in Europe Association (VNCT), with the valuable support of the Organising Committee of the Skopje Summer Festival, the Vietnam Cultural Centre in France and Maestro Lê Phi Phi.

This was the very first Vietnam Culture and Tourism Day held in Skopje. The event marks an important step in promoting Vietnam’s image in North Macedonia and, more broadly, throughout the Balkan region. Its aim was to showcase the richness of Vietnamese heritage, culture, arts, gastronomy and tourism, while encouraging cultural exchange, people-to-people diplomacy and the development of new cooperation with local partners.

Held under the theme “Viet Nam – A Land of Heritage, Harmony and Hospitality”, the event combined a cultural and tourism promotion space, food tastings, an official ceremony, a concert and a networking cocktail reception.

 

From late afternoon, the Vietnam Culture & Tourism Space opened its doors to the public, the media and local partners. Visitors were able to discover a photo exhibition devoted to Vietnam, traditional objects, tourist information, videos presenting the country’s main destinations, and an area for tasting Vietnamese tea, coffee and specialities. Landscapes of Ha Long Bay, Huế, Hội An, Hà Giang, Tràng An and other iconic sites conveyed the image of an authentic, diverse and particularly attractive Vietnam.

The official ceremony brought together representatives of the Embassy of Vietnam in Bulgaria, also accredited to North Macedonia, the Vietnam Culture & Tourism in Europe Association (VNCT), the City of Skopje, the Skopje Summer Festival, cultural and tourism partners, the media and companies, as well as a large audience. The speeches underlined the essential role of cultural exchange in bringing peoples together, developing new cooperation and strengthening the bonds of friendship between Vietnam and North Macedonia.

 

The highlight of the day was the concert under the artistic direction of Maestro Lê Phi Phi, featuring the artists Thanh Sơn and Thanh Ngọc from the Vietnam Cultural Centre in France, accompanied by musicians from the Luj string orchestra of North Macedonia. This musical dialogue between Vietnamese and Balkan traditions deeply moved the audience. Nearly 300 spectators attended; the venue proved too small to hold everyone, and several pieces were greeted with long standing ovations, a testament to the audience’s enthusiasm and emotion.

 

After the concert, a cocktail reception allowed the artists, guests, institutional representatives, tourism professionals, cultural partners, the media and the public to continue their conversations in a friendly atmosphere. This get-together encouraged new contacts, particularly in the field of promoting Vietnamese tourism in the Balkans.

The event also received extensive media coverage, with four television interviews, including one by North Macedonia’s national television, a radio interview and many articles in the Vietnamese and Macedonian press. This media interest reflects the appeal of Vietnamese culture and the potential for future promotional activities in the region.

Alongside the activities held on site, the digital platform VietnamConnect.vnct.org, now available in Macedonian, also aroused keen interest among the general public and tourism professionals. In Macedonian, the site presents Vietnam’s destinations, heritage, culture, gastronomy and tourism offer, while making it easier to connect with companies in the sector. A truly modern promotional tool, it extends the impact of the event and contributes to the development of tourism exchanges between Vietnam and the Balkans.

 

Key figures

1 first Vietnam Culture and Tourism Day held in Skopje, North Macedonia

1 event included in the programme of the 47th Skopje Summer Festival

1 venue too small to hold the nearly 300 spectators at the concert

Several standing ovations for the musical programme

4 television interviews, including 1 by North Macedonia’s national television

1 radio interview

Many articles and reports in the Vietnamese and Macedonian press

1 Macedonian version of the VietnamConnect.vnct.org platform launched and particularly well received

The success of this first Vietnam Culture and Tourism Day in Skopje not only helps to raise Vietnam’s profile with the Macedonian public, but also opens up new prospects for cooperation in culture, tourism, the media and cultural diplomacy. The event is an important milestone in Vietnam’s outreach strategy in the Balkans, drawing on culture, the arts and tourism as vehicles for dialogue and for bringing peoples closer together.

A message of thanks from the President of VNCT

At the close of this first Vietnam Culture and Tourism Day in Skopje, I would like, on behalf of the Vietnam Culture & Tourism in Europe Association (VNCT), to express my deepest gratitude to all the institutions, organisations, artists, partners and friends who contributed to the success of this event.

My first thanks go to the Embassy of Vietnam in Bulgaria, also accredited to North Macedonia, and in particular to Her Excellency Madam Nguyễn Thị Minh Nguyệt, Ambassador of Vietnam, and her entire team.

Organising an international cultural event on this scale is a considerable logistical challenge: institutional coordination, protocol, welcoming delegations, transport, technical aspects, handling the unexpected… Despite the geographical distance, limited staff and an exceptional workload, the Embassy handled the entire organisation with exemplary professionalism, showing remarkable commitment and availability.

Without the involvement of the Embassy of Vietnam, this Vietnam Culture and Tourism Day in Skopje simply could not have achieved the success we experienced together.

I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Maestro Lê Phi Phi, who devoted his talent, time, energy and vast artistic network to creating a musical programme of the very highest quality, sensitively bringing Vietnamese and North Macedonian artists together around one universal language: that of music.
 

My thanks also go to the young musicians of the Luj String Orchestra, students at the National Centre for Music and Dance of North Macedonia. They agreed to devote many hours to rehearsals and to perform on stage above all out of passion, generosity and belief in the values of cultural dialogue. Their commitment contributed greatly to the artistic emotion of the evening, which was greeted several times with long standing ovations.

I warmly thank the artists Thanh Sơn and Thanh Ngọc, from the Vietnam Cultural Centre in France, who carried Vietnam’s artistic colours to the Macedonian audience with talent and sensitivity.

VNCT also extends its sincere thanks to the Organising Committee of the Skopje Summer Festival, the City of Skopje, the institutional partners, the media, the volunteers and the whole audience, whose warm welcome and enthusiasm contributed greatly to the success of the day.

This success illustrates a conviction that has guided VNCT since its creation:

Unity is strength.

When Vietnam’s diplomatic missions, local authorities, artists, companies, associations, the Vietnamese community and our international friends combine their skills and energies around a common goal, together they can achieve far more than any of them could accomplish alone.

In her opening speech, Her Excellency Madam Nguyễn Thị Minh Nguyệt recalled that Vietnam consistently pursues a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralism, founded on peace, cooperation and development. She reaffirmed the importance Vietnam attaches to strengthening its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with North Macedonia, while underlining Vietnam’s wish to serve as a bridge between North Macedonia and ASEAN and to help Vietnamese products reach the Balkan market.

The Ambassador also expressed the wish to step up high-level exchanges between the two countries, to develop cooperation in the economy, trade, culture, education and tourism, to promote relations between the companies and chambers of commerce of the two countries, and to create ever more favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community living and working in North Macedonia.

 

These priorities are fully in line with the mission VNCT has pursued since its creation: to make culture a bridge between peoples, tourism a driver of cooperation and dialogue a vehicle for lasting closeness between Vietnam and Europe.

The Vietnam Culture and Tourism Day in Skopje has come to an end, but we are convinced that it is above all the starting point for new cooperation between Vietnam, North Macedonia and the whole Balkan region. Thanks to the collective commitment of all our partners, this first edition opens a new chapter of friendship and dialogue between our two peoples.