Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung and officials of the Vietnamese Embassy and Vietnamese representative offices in the US offer incense to Hung Kings (Photo: VNA)

At a cultural festival held in Washington D.C in the US on April 13, Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung and officials of the Vietnamese Embassy and Vietnamese representative offices in the US offered incense to Hung Kings - the legendary founders of the nation, and President Ho Chi Minh.

Addressing the event, Ambassador Dung said that this is a chance for Vietnamese in Washington, especially the youth, to meet and pay tribute to ancestors. The diplomat expressed his hope that this meaningful activity will help promote valuable traditions and the cultural beauty of Vietnam.

At the event, the organising committee honoured 30 students with outstanding performance in studying and other activities.

Participants enjoyed art performances by Vietnamese youngsters and guests.

Bich Duong, an overseas Vietnamese in the US, said that she hopes the Vietnamese Embassy will organise more activities on larger scale to popularise the Vietnamese culture to OVs and US friends.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese in Saint Petersburg, Russia, organised a get-together to mark the Hung Kings Commemoration Day, drawing more than 200 Vietnamese people and Russian friends, including Professor Vladimir Kolotov, head of the Ho Chi Minh Institute at St. Petersburg University.

This is the fourth time the event has been held in Russia in response to the Vietnam Ancestral Global Day.

Head of the Vietnam Ancestral Global Day project in Saint Petersburg Dao Dai Hai underlined the event’s meaning in connecting OVs as well as Vietnamese at home and abroad.

Professor Kolotov cited President Ho Chi Minh's famous saying that “the Hung Kings founded the nation, we should get together to protect it,” holding that this motto has helped develop the great national solidarity and internal strength for Vietnam to gain independence, construct the country, integrate into the world and make contributions to the global community.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnamese Association in Russia Tran Phu Nhuan highlighted the significance of the Vietnam Ancestral Global Day, calling for Vietnamese communities in Europe and Russia to spread the Vietnamese humane traditions and foster their solidarity.

Dao Van Anh, 19, a Vietnamese in Russia, said that her father told her about the legend of Hung Kings. Although she has never visited Vietnam, but the event gave her a deep insight into the meaning of the Hung King Commemoration Day and made her feel that she is a member of the 100-million-strong family of Vietnam, she said.

Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in Saint Petersburg Do The Manh said that the event helps connect Vietnamese students and spread the spirit of "drinking water, remember the source" more strongly and widely among them.