China and Vietnam have been witnessing intensified exchanges in cultural areas, with the organization of various activities, including forums, seminars, visits and exchanges, contributing to strengthening the friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.
During the visit of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong to China in April 2015, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and Chinese President Xi Jinping said the two countries should further cooperate in areas of culture, education, healthcare, tourism, press and media exchanges, among others, in order to nurture a new generation of successors for bilateral relations.
After talks, the two leaders attended the 15th Friendship Meeting between youths of China and Vietnam. At the meeting, Xi expressed his hope that young people of the two countries will become inheritors of the China-Vietnam traditional friendship and contribute to strengthening mutual understanding between the two peoples and promoting bilateral cooperation. So far this year, the two countries have organized numerous activities for young people, including the "Chinese Bridge" Chinese proficiency competition for foreign college students, and speech contests. Earlier in October 2015, a study room on Chinese language and culture was inaugurated at Hung Vuong University in Vietnam's northern Phu Tho province.Liu Sanzhen, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam, said the number of Chinese volunteer teachers in Vietnam has increased in the past years. Previously, Chinese volunteer teachers were sent only to the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and border province of Lao Cai.
Meanwhile, Chinese volunteer teachers have currently been assigned to northern and central areas across the country, Liu told Xinhua.
"The two countries are also witnessing frequent exchanges among universities," Liu said, adding that the two sides have held two forums.
The latest forum was held in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, drawing the attendance of presidents and experts from 18 universities of China and Vietnam, discussing talent training cooperation among universities in the Red River basin.
The number of student exchanges between the two countries has also been growing. According to initial statistics, there are currently over 14,000 Vietnamese students studying in China, while some 3,000 to 4,000 Chinese students have been sent to Vietnam each year.
In December 2014, during his visit to Vietnam, Yu Zhengsheng, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, attended the inauguration of the Confucius Institute at Hanoi University.
This year, the Confucius Institute has organized many activities to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival with the participation of teachers and students from 10 universities which have Chinese language departments in Vietnam.
Regarding exchanges in music and art, in August 2015, the two countries have co-organized a China-Vietnam Friendship Concert. This was the first time traditional folk music of the two countries has been officially performed in unison on the same stage, while the Chinese Yunnan art troupe has just concluded their performance tour in Vietnam in late October.
Liu said the growth in people-to-people exchanges between the two countries can be seen from the issuance of visas. In 2014, nearly two million Chinese visitors traveled to Vietnam, while the number of Vietnamese tourists to China has also been increasing.
Together with the development of transportation, including the inauguration of the Noi Bai-Lao Cai expressway connecting Vietnam's capital Hanoi and Lao Cai province bordering China, as well as the Belt and Road Initiatives, the cooperation between China and Vietnam in the fields of trade, economy and culture will be further strengthened, Liu said.
