The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology held an event to bring Vietnamese children together with children from overseas to celebrate International Children's Day on June 1. 

The programme, themed Friendly Connections, was an opportunity for Vietnamese and foreign children in Hanoi to introduce their different cultures by giving fashion shows, dancing, singing, and playing musical instruments and, as well as comparing games.

The activities were designed to help children learn about the diversity, similarities differences, and the cultural integration that has developed between countries, so they could see connections between West and East, between being traditional and modern, and to enhance their mutual understanding, said the museum’s Director, 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. The Vietnamese and foreign children performed all the activities themselves.

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), and 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 games 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 (the UK, Japan, Jordan, Indonesia and Vietnam).

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

Several Japanese and Vietnamese clowns were also present at the festival.

The children tried on traditional costumes from Vietnam, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia and Japan and made bookmarks in the shapes of traditional costumes from 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.