The Vienna Charity Ball will be held by the Austrian Embassy in the Grand Ballroom of the Hanoi Melia Hotel on November 12.  

The Austrian Ambassador to Vietnam, Georg Heindl, said that the event will mark the traditional friendship between the two countries, the 1000^th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi and raise funds for children affected by Agent Orange.

The Austrian Ambassador Georg Heindl

The Vienna Charity Ball is based on the world famous Vienna Opera Ball. The event has taken place in numerous cities around the globe but this is the first time it will be held in Vietnam. All donations will be sent to the Friendship Village in Van Canh, Hanoi to benefit children affected by Agent Orange.

To the strains of traditional Viennese music, young couples execute a promenade with outstretched arms followed by a bow. The debutantes and their partners whirl into a sea of rustling ball gowns and glimmering tiaras across the dance floor, recreating the atmosphere of an authentic 18^th century ball.

Traditionally, the Ball begins with a dance by 12 selected couples. For the performance in Hanoi, the couples have been chosen from the Olympic Dance Club, composed of high school and university students in the capital city.

Pegani Raffaela, an Italian dance instructor, who lives and works in Austria, has been invited to instruct them. After some days of practice, she expressed delight at the great efforts made by her protégés in quickly becoming familiar with the dance, despite some early difficulties.

In the final stage of the Ball, guests are invited to join in a midnight Quadrille.

The Vienna Opera House

The event will attract the participation of famous Austrian and Vietnamese artists. The Austrian Ambassador expressed the hope that the event would be warmly welcomed by people of Hanoi.

The Ambassador said he was also pleased with the results of Austria-Vietnam cooperation in the cultural, educational, and socioeconomic fields.

Italian dance instructor Pegani Raffaela working with Vietnamese students

Since the end of the 1990s, Austria has implemented projects to help Vietnam modernise its medical equipment. The country has also worked with Vietnam on environmental protection, railway construction, fire fighting and technical training projects.

The Vienna Charity Ball

The Austrian Embassy is now keen to help the Foreign Literature Magazine publish a compilation of Austrian literature and other writings on Vienna to the Vietnam Times Newspaper. It plans to invite Austrian artists to a concert to perform Gustav Mahler’s Concerto No. 8 conducted by the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra.