A series of events have been organised by the Consulate General of Vietnam in Perth, Australia to promote Vietnamese culture in local communities.

An exhibition on Vietnamese cultural heritages, the second of its kind, ran from March 15 to 24 as part of the Western Australia Heritage Festival.

The event featured a collection of sophisticated hand-embroidered artwork by Vietnamese craftsmen reflecting the country’s rich history of silk farming and weaving.

Ceramics, water puppetry, Vietnamese calligraphy and lacquer paintings were also on display.

A fashion show to introduce traditional ASEAN and Western Australia (WA) costumes was held on March 21 by the ASEAN Consulate General in coordination with the Country Women’s Association of WA (CWA) to celebrate the International Women’s Day.

These events are tangible evidence of growing multi-faceted relations between WA and Southeast Asian nations, said Minister of Energy, Citizenship and Multicultural Interests Mike Nahan in a speech before the fashion show, adding that he highly appreciated the contribution of local ASEAN communities to the socio-economic and multicultural development of the state.

For his part, Consul-General Le Viet Duyen stressed the ASEAN’s responsibility in protecting and promoting women’s rights as well as their role in building the ASEAN Community.

He hoped the women of both sides would play a part in strengthening the forty-year strategic partnership between the ASEAN and Australia.

In Darwin, Northern Territory, the Consulate General of Vietnam hosted a reception for local Vietnamese nationals on the occasion of the Lunar New Year.

Event participants included Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles and senior state officials.-VNA