Place for choir competitions

Government intensifies collaboration

Recent years’ efforts pay off: Vietnam confirms again the collaboration with INTERKULTUR. In Hanoi representatives of both parties had talks about a “2nd Vietnam International Choir Competition”.

From February 4 to 10, 2012 representatives of the Department of Performing Arts, among them Director Vuong Duy Bien, consulted with Thomas Schüle, Director International Relations for INTERKULTUR about possible choir competitions in the own country. The “2nd Vietnam International Choir Competition” is supposed to be held in December 2012 in the city of Huế and is a continuation of the competition that was held in 2011. Huế is a city in Central Vietnam with about 300 000 inhabitants and located at Hương Giang (Perfume River), close to the South China Sea. Between 1802 and 1945 it was the imperial capital of Vietnam, today it’s the capital of the province of Thừa Thiên-Huế.

Also the discussions were about a possible “3rd Vietnam International Choir Competition” to be held in June 2013 in Hoi An again. Bien emphasized the importance of INTERKULTUR as “supporter”, which was a big help regarding the further extension of Vietnamese choral music and its reputation. Choral music in Vietnam has existed also in the past; however, it has not been particularly promoted by the government. In 2011 one has made a first decisive step in this direction by organizing the first international choir competition in the country’s history. The 1st Vietnam International Choir Festival & Competition in Hoi An became a great success. Official representatives of the Ministry of Culture got a personal impression and the state television constantly reported on the celebration of choral music through several nationwide live broadcastings. 30 choirs from eight nations participated in this event.

INTERKULTUR and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Vietnam have had good relations since 2007 already. They continue to make an effort for further developments in the field of choral music. Vietnam is an ambitious country interested in the extension and the exchange of cultural issues. We’ll keep you updated on further developments regarding this event on our websites.