The spirit of national unity at the MAMF 2026 Multicultural Festival
WVR - Recently, the “National Unity Day – Vietnamese Cultural Festival” was successfully held in Changwon City, Gyeongsangnam Province, Republic of Korea, as part of the 21st Migrants' Arirang Multicultural Festival (MAMF).
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| Delegates press the button to inaugurate the “National Unity Day – Vietnamese Cultural Festival”. (Source: Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan) |
The event was accompanied by the Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam National Academy of Music, the Vietnamese Association in Gyeongnam, along with the General Association of Vietnamese in the Republic of Korea.
MAMF is the largest multicultural festival in the Republic of Korea. With the slogan “Twenty-One, One World”, this year's festival was held from October 23-25, gathering a record number of 22 countries, with Vietnam being one of the most prominently represented communities. The event not only served as a highlight for cultural exchange but also as a meaningful occasion for the Vietnamese community to honor the spirit of national unity in a foreign land.
This year's Vietnamese Cultural Festival attracted a large participation of overseas Vietnamese residing, studying, and working in the southern region of the Republic of Korea, along with thousands of local residents and international tourists.
Vietnamese art programs were simultaneously showcased on the main stage of the MAMF at Yongji Cultural Park and on Vietnam's own stage.
The Vietnamese Cultural Space, featuring booths introducing the country, people, traditional products, and cuisine, was always bustling with visitors. In the Multicultural parade – the most iconic program of MAMF with 19 groups from 16 countries on Changwon's central avenue – the Vietnamese contingent impressed with the graceful ao dai, water puppet dance performances, and the colorful costumes of Vietnam's ethnic groups.
In that vibrant traditional space, the image of Vietnam and its people emerged as both familiar and full of vitality and national pride.
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| Vietnamese art programs were simultaneously showcased on the main stage of the MAMF at Yongji Cultural Park and on Vietnam's own stage. (Source: Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan) |
The most impressive artistic highlight was the performance by the artists from the Vietnam National Academy of Music. With a passion for promoting the nation's musical heritage, the artists treated the audience to a “feast” of sound rich in national identity.
The melodies, sometimes deep and resonant from the dan bau and dan tranh, sometimes clear and echoing from the bamboo flute, and sometimes lively and rustic from the T'rung, combined with powerful vocals, completely captivated the audience from the opening day of the MAMF 2026 to the Vietnamese Cultural Festival.
For the overseas Vietnamese, each sound was a bridge connecting their souls back to their homeland. For Korean and international friends, the performances were an opportunity to explore the profound and unique depth of traditional Vietnamese art.
A standout feature of the Day was the “Viet-Korean Got Talent” competition, showcasing unique performances crafted and performed by Vietnamese individuals from various regions of the Republic of Korea. From Seoul, Gwangju to Busan, Gyeongnam, associations and individuals gathered, turning the Vietnamese stage into a rendezvous point for the Vietnamese community across the Republic of Korea. This was also the first year that the participation scope of the Vietnamese community at MAMF expanded from local to national.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vietnamese Consul General in Busan Doan Phuong Lan expressed her emotion at the large turnout and emphasized the significance of the Day: “The spirit of national unity is not far away; it lies in the very actions that have brought about today's festival. It is the desire of our people to meet, to show our Korean friends how beautiful Vietnam is.
It is the evenings after work when our people gather to discuss, contribute, and share every small task. It is the collaboration of the Vietnamese Association in Gyeongnam with associations from Seoul, Gwangju, and many other places. No one asked, no one forced. Our people voluntarily stood together for the community. That truly embodies the spirit of national unity.”
This year's Vietnamese Cultural Festival at MAMF truly became a celebration of unity. Hundreds of volunteers, amateur artists, and association members spent months preparing, from staging performances, sewing parade costumes, to cooking traditional dishes for visitors.
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| Some traditional art performances at the event. (Source: Vietnamese Consulate General in Busan) |
Despite occasional rain, people gathered in large numbers, singing together, cheering together, and introducing Vietnam to Korean and international friends. This enthusiastic participation created a warm space for expatriates to meet, share, and take pride in their roots.
Concluding in a joyful and warm atmosphere, the Vietnamese Cultural Festival at MAMF 2026 not only affirmed the position and growth of the Vietnamese community in the southeastern region of the Republic of Korea but also continued to strongly spread the cultural values and spirit of national unity of Vietnamese people on the international stage, contributing to fostering friendship and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea.
