Vietnamese lantern festival excites crowds in northern Australia

Lion dances bring a vibrant atmosphere to visitors during
the Vietnamese lantern festival 2023. (Photo: Baoquocte.vn)

The Vietnamese lantern festival 2023 has been successfully organised by the Australian Vietnamese Family Association (AVFA) in Australia’s Northern Territory, providing a chance for both locals and tourists to discover Vietnamese culture.

Organisers put up a cultural space of Hoi An Ancient Town of Vietnam, featuring hundreds of traditional lanterns of all colours, shapes, and sizes.

Lion dances, performances of musical instruments, and Vietnamese cuisine booths were also introduced, bringing a vibrant atmosphere to visitors.

Both children and adults joined in with the various interesting activities on offer, such as lantern making and face painting.

Among the highlights of the festival was releasing flower lanterns into the sea, expressing people’s gratitude to the elderly and wishing for peace, happiness and prosperity.

The festival was held in Darwin on September 9 to mark the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Australia diplomatic ties.

The Australian Vietnamese Family Association (AVFA) is a non-profit association registered in Australia which was founded by Vietnamese volunteers. Its main goal is to connect members of the Vietnamese community and help them to get closer to each other through cultural exchanges. It also assists Vietnamese expats in integrating well into the local community.

The Vietnamese community in the Northern Territory is made up of around 2,500 people. Vietnamese is the seventh most common language used locally behind Aboriginal, Filipino, Greek, Nepali, Chinese, and Malaysian.

* Source: VOV - english.vov.vn 
* Tags: lantern festival,  Australia,