Korea, Việt Nam to mark 30th anniversary of relations with cultural events

Young Vietnamese people at a KOCCA’s event. — Photo courtesy of KOCCA Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI — The Korea Content Creation Agency (KOCCA) in Việt Nam will organise a series of cultural-entertainment events this year to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, according to Hong Jeong Yong, director of KOCCA Việt Nam.

Two cultural events scheduled to take place in July are the Korean Animation Festival and Korean Culture Days in Việt Nam. KOCCA will also release its annual Hallyu (Korean wave) report at the same time.

In August, Hồ Chí Minh City and Đà Nẵng will host the K-pop competition’s qualifying competition.

In October, KOCCA will release a white book on video games.

In November, the Hallyu Expo, the highlight of a series of events commemorating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, will feature several exhibition spaces, musical performances and other events.

Hong Jeong Yong added that KOCCA will provide the most up-to-date information and trends on the Vietnamese industry, as well as assist Korean content companies in their entry into the Vietnamese market.

“KOCCA Việt Nam is an important office in the Korean government’s New Southern Policy, which promotes friendly cooperation between the two countries by expanding the Hallyu market in Việt Nam, exporting Hallyu content and related businesses,” he said.

Hong expressed his delight at Vietnamese youth’s interest in Korean culture in general and Hallyu in particular. He also determined that Việt Nam’s culture industry is rapidly increasing and that the Vietnamese government has a specific vision and strategy for this sector.

“The potential for cooperation between the two sides is enormous,” he said. 

KOCCA is an agency under the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism that was founded in May, 2009 to promote and expand the Korean content sector. In October of 2020, KOCCA opened a representative office in Việt Nam.

Since its presence in Việt Nam, KOCCA has mostly arranged online activities, such as business contacts, animation contests and K-pop concerts, due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

This year, KOCCA Việt Nam plans to encourage cultural exchange activities, undertake market research, and connect content creators from both countries. — VNS