The 23-day long festival aims to celebrate the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK).

This year’s event themed “ the prosperity of the Asian community via cultural exchanges” will include a wide range of activities, including film screenings, exhibitions, art performances and trade promotion programmes to boost cross-cultural exchange between the two countries.

Some of the highlight events, such as the opening ceremony and a performance reviving Gyeongju Historic Culture City, the former millennial capital of the Shilla Dynasty will be held in Nguyen Hue Walking Street.

Meanwhile other activities will take place at HCMC Fine Arts Museum, Ben Thanh Theater, Hoa Binh Theater, the city’s Conservatory of Music and the 23/9 Park.

The festival is expected to attract more than 800,000 visitors, including city residents, Korean people and expats residing and working in the city.

The festival is hosted by Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of South Korea, United Nations World Tourism Organization – UNWTO (UN agencies) and is funded by the Korean government.

The event is held every two years, starting in 1998. The HCMC-Gyeongju World Cultural Festival 2017will be the third of its kind to be held overseas following ones in Angkor Wat, Cambodia, in 2006, and Istanbul, Turkey, in 2013.