The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology hosted over the weekend an event designed to connect Vietnamese and international children in celebration of International Children's Day, June 1.

The programme, themed Friendship Connections, was an opportunity for Vietnamese and foreign children in Hanoi to represent their cultures through fashion shows, dancing, singing, and playing with musical instruments, games and toys.

The activities were designed to help children learn about diversity, similarities and differences, and the cultural integration that has developed between the countries, so that they see connections between West and East, between tradition and modernity, and are able to enhance their mutual understanding, said director of the museum, Vo Quang Trong.

Cultural diversity was presented by a fashion show of traditional costumes from Vietnam , India , Japan , Korea , Indonesia , Austria and Russia , as well as through songs and dances from India , Russia and Germany . Vietnamese and foreign children performed all of the activities.

Cultural integration was demonstrated with a music performance that featured a number of traditional instruments including trac (bamboo percussion sticks used in religious festivals and ceremonies), wooden bells and drums played by children from northern Nam Dinh province.

A series of traditional games gave the children a fun and practical demonstration of the similarities and differences of play in the countries such as: Cat Chases Mouse (Germany, Vietnam); Rabbits Looking for a Burrow (Vietnam); Rabbits in the Forest (Russia); Glass Marbles (Greece, Vietnam); Blind-man Knocking an Earthenware Pot (Vietnam); Knocking Pot (Germany); Hidden Objects (Vietnam); Peo-peo Handkerchief (Italia); Dropping Bag (Germany); Mandarin Square Capturing (Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia); Walking on Stilts (Vietnam); Walking on Coconut Shells (Thailand); and Hopscotch (England, Japan, Jordan, Indonesia and Vietnam).

Nguyen Hoai Nam and his wife brought their children to the event and were pleased when their kids learnt how to make Vietnamese traditional toys. They crafted animals and dolls out of leaves, paper and bamboo, coloured masks, and folding paper in fun shapes following Japan 's origami art.

"Besides joining children's games from different countries, the children had a chance to understand how their toys are made. It's a good way to combine playing with learning," he says.

Children also enjoyed films from Vietnam and around the world on a big screen, including 3D and moving films, and folk stories told by Nguyen Van Long. He is well-known for his hand-made films, which he draws on paper and created the sounds and special effects himself.

Japanese and Vietnamese comics were also presented at the festival.

Children tried on traditional costumes from Vietnam , the Republic of Korea , Indonesia and Japan and made bookmarks in the shapes of traditional costumes of Vietnam and other countries.

The programme was made possible with the assistance from the embassies of Austria , Germany , India , Japan , the Philippines , Russia , Thailand and the UK in Hanoi./.