Nurturing bonds through culture, food
Vietnamese theater arts, music and culinary fare increasingly popular in China
NANNING/KUNMING — With its twists and turns, and authentic performance from the actors, a drama presented by a Vietnamese troupe generated buzz among Chinese audiences during the recently concluded 10th China-ASEAN (Nanning) Theater Week in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
“The relationship between China and Vietnam is closer than ever,” said Nguyen Thi Le Ngoc, the head of the troupe. “I hope that cultural exchanges between the two countries deepen in the future to help bring our two peoples closer together.”
For 10 years, the Vietnamese theater arts have been part of the annual theater week. Through the event, a number of unique traditional Vietnamese stage plays, such as parodies and puppet shows, have been introduced to China.
As good neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, Chinese and Vietnamese people, particularly the younger generation, have increased mutual understanding and friendship through cultural exchanges such as drama, music and food.
In recent years, Vietnam has produced some hit songs in the electronic music genre, attracting online listeners that sometimes run into hundreds of millions in number.
“Vietnamese songs are usually cheerful and have a strong sense of rhythm. When you listen to them, your body just can’t help dancing,” said Zhou Jing, a short video fan from Nanning, Guangxi.
Nowadays, Vietnamese songs, dances and other cultural elements are increasingly popular in China.
Meanwhile, with natural ingredients and refreshing menus, Vietnamese restaurants have sprung up in major Chinese cities over the years.
As China and Vietnam continue to strengthen economic, trade and logistics cooperation, even more fresh ingredients from Vietnam are being transported to China, helping authentic Vietnamese food win the approval of Chinese foodies.
Tran Thi Vi has been running a Vietnamese steamed rice roll shop in Hekou Yao autonomous county, on the China-Vietnam border, in Honghe Hani and Yi autonomous prefecture of Southwest China’s Yunnan province, for about eight years.
“I’ve seen many Chinese tourists interested in our spicy and sour food, especially the steamed rice rolls. I chose to open an eatery in Hekou so that they can taste the delicacy on their doorstep,” said Tran Thi Vi.
A Vietnamese white rice noodle lover, Ma Ting, from Mengzi city of Honghe, said that she visited Vietnam several times for sightseeing.
Ma fell in love with the local cuisine there. She is addicted to the exotic Vietnamese rice noodles for their diverse styles and appetizing flavors, despite the fact that her hometown is already a famous rice noodle city.
“As the people-to-people exchanges between China and Vietnam intensify, more Vietnamese culture will be brought into China, and more stories of mutual learning, understanding and friendship between the two peoples are bound to emerge,” said Sun Xiaoying, a researcher with the Guangxi Academy of Social Sciences.