Over the weekend, the city of Lorient, capital of Morbihan province in the French Republic, hosted a large-scale cultural performance titled “Brilliant Vietnam”, which served as the grand finale of the vibrant, week-long 3rd Festival Vietnam.

Jointly organized by the Lorient City Hall in collaboration with the Art Space association, Vietnam Bretagne Sud, and Appel Lorient, the event is designed to promote Vietnamese culture to French and international audiences.

Among those in attendance were Mayor Fabrice Loher and many French friends who share a genuine appreciation for Vietnamese culture.

Festival Vietnam 2025 featured a wide range of events, including documentary screenings on Vietnamese culture and live performances showcasing both traditional and contemporary art forms. Other highlights included cultural outreach activities at nursing homes, a large-scale parade promoting Vietnamese attire and culture in the city center, and various exhibitions.

Aiming to connect history with the present and introduce the diversity of Vietnamese traditional attire to French audiences, more than 100 international students, Vietnamese expatriates, and French friends joined a parade at Glotin Square to present the beauty of garments from the Ly, Tran, and Nguyen dynasties, along with the five-paneled Ao Dai (traditional long dress) and its modern variations. This was also part of the organizers’ ongoing efforts to raise the profile of the Ao Dai internationally and promote its recognition by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

On this occasion, a seminar on Vietnamese attire and the Ao dai was held to help international friends gain a deeper understanding of Vietnam’s cultural heritage. With the theme “The Ao Dai Speaks: Heritage and Cultural Identity”, the seminar introduced signature garments from various historical periods, from the Tran and Le dynasties to the Nguyen dynasty. The designs, provided by Vietnamese heritage costume designers and recreators, drew a large audience of French attendees who asked questions and expressed keen interest in both historical and contemporary Vietnamese fashion, especially the Ao Dai as a symbol of cultural heritage.

As part of the Festival, the Lorient National Convention Center hosted the “Brilliant Vietnam” art exhibition, featuring 150 selected artworks from over 1,000 drawings by children from 17 countries, all centered on the theme of Vietnamese cultural heritage. Alongside the exhibition, a series of hands-on traditional craft workshops were offered free of charge, attracting large numbers of local residents.

Another highlight was the photo series “Hanoi Delicacies” by photographer Thao Nguyen, currently living and working in France. Enhanced with augmented reality (AR) technology, the photos allowed viewers not only to observe, but to feel Hanoi’s cuisine through vivid animation, sound, and lifelike movement.

The 3rd Festival Vietnam also succeeded in bringing Vietnamese culture closer to French audiences of all ages, from children to the elderly in nursing homes, through a wide array of rich, inclusive, and human-centered activities such as mini concerts introducing Vietnamese music, and craft workshops where elderly participants made bamboo trays or decorated traditional paper fans from Chang Son.

The week-long Festival concluded with an engaging art performance titled “Brilliant Vietnam” at the Plateau de Quatre Vents theater, attracting more than 50 professional and amateur artists. Blending traditional folk elements with modern sensibilities, the show included newly arranged versions of classic pieces which delighted the audience. Notably, performers from the Vietnam Cultural Centre in Paris also joined the event with a set of bamboo instrument performances that left a strong impression on international guests.

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