Chinese students celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam

Chinese students in Vietnam celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival that falls on Sunday away from their homeland but among friends.

"I miss my family whenever I look at the moon these days as the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming," Su Xiayun, a Chinese student in Vietnam told Xinhua after performing in a Mid-Autumn Festival show in Hanoi.

The Confucius Institute in Vietnam has organized a series of activities, including cooking competition and flower arranging competition for a week-long celebration that ends Sunday. A musical show on Friday night was the highlight of the celebration.

During the musical show, those in the audience were asked to guess the nationality of the performers since many of those who joined the show were Vietnamese students who were studying Chinese language in various schools and universities in Hanoi.

During the show, many Vietnamese students dressed in Chinese Qipao (Chinese traditional costume) and sang Chinese songs in Chinese language fluently.

"The weeklong cultural event highlighted the Vietnamese students' knowledge of Chinese culture, from cuisine to traditional music and their facility of the Chinese language," said Liu Wenqi, a Chinese student in Vietnam's capital Hanoi.

In return, Liu said, he is also studying very hard to improve his knowledge of the Vietnamese culture and language.

"The excellent performance of the Vietnamese performers of the Chinese culture and language is a challenge for me to do the same in learning the Vietnamese culture and language," Liu said.

Su Xiayun, one of those in the audience, said that although she is far away from her village in China, she did not feel homesick after hearing Vietnamese singers belting out Chinese songs during the music show. "This event has given me the inspiration to study the Vietnamese culture and music more," Su said. "I represent the Chinese people and Chinese image while studying here in Vietnam, therefore, I will try my best to study well and bring honor to my homeland," Su said.

In his address at the opening of the music festival, Nguyen Thi Cuc Phuong, vice principal of Hanoi University, said that the traditional friendship between Vietnam and China "is a valuable asset that should be nurtured by the two countries and peoples."

"In the past years, many Chinese students showed their interest in studying Vietnamese culture and language. Hanoi University has trained thousands of Chinese students learning Vietnamese culture and language. The two countries' young generation will contribute to further promoting the bilateral relations between Vietnam and China," Nguyen Thi Cuc Phuong said.

She said that the joint performance by Vietnamese and Chinese students clearly represents the strong bond of friendship between the two neighboring nations.

Hong Xiaoyong, the Chinese ambassador to Vietnam, said China and Vietnam share similarities in culture and "culture serves as the bridge linking the two nations."

Hong said that students from China and Vietnam bring the two countries closer through cultural and language exchanges. "The Confucius Institute is an important vehicle to further promote cultural exchanges between the two countries," he said.