Vietnamese president visits ASEAN House in Busan

Vietnamese President Luong Cuong visited ASEAN Culture House, operated by the Korea Foundation, in Busan on Saturday.

The house is the only institution outside Southeast Asia promoting the cultures of the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Cuong was welcomed by around 100 members of the Vietnamese community in Korea, where he met with Kim Ghee-whan, president of the Korea Foundation, and Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon.

During the visit, Cuong left a gift of a book on the Dong Son culture, a hallmark of Vietnam’s ancient bronze civilization.

The ASEAN Culture House also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, one of Vietnam’s premier museums.

Under this memorandum, representing the first collaborative project, a special exhibition titled “Vietnamese Traditional Folk Play: Connection” will run until Dec. 1, introducing Vietnam’s midautumn festival and traditional folk games to the Korean public.

“I am deeply impressed by KF’s efforts to promote cultural and human exchange between Vietnam and Korea,” Cuong said. "I hope the KF ASEAN Culture House will continue to play a vital role in introducing Vietnamese culture to the Korean public."

Meanwhile, KF President Kim said that the foundation has been supporting Korean language programs at Vietnamese universities and youth exchange programs for public officials from both countries.

"Through the KF ASEAN Culture House, we have also promoted Vietnamese culture in Korea,” said Kim.

The delegation toured exhibitions showcasing Vietnamese culture at the ASEAN Culture House.

Established in 1991, the Korea Foundation, Korea’s sole public diplomacy organization, fosters global understanding and friendship through Korean studies, scholarships, forums and art exhibitions.

To date, it has supported 170 professorships and 12,723 scholars, hosted 304 international forums and sponsored 193 Korean art exhibitions worldwide.