Australia Week Showcases Traditional and Modern Australia

The Australian Embassy in Hanoi will host an ‘Australian Education and Culture Week’ from 17 to 25 February to showcase Australian culture and education to Vietnamese audiences.

Cultural events throughout the week will highlight Australia’s traditional indigenous culture, and show Vietnamese how modern Australian artists interpret this culture creatively. 13 February is the fourth anniversary of the historic apology to Australia’s indigenous people.

Internationally acclaimed musical group Visions of a Nomad, which plays indigenous Australian-influenced jazz fusion music, will perform at the University of Foreign Trade and the University of Commerce. The award-winning Australian musical film Bran Nue Dae will screen at the Water Resources University, the Hanoi Medical University and the University of Commerce.

Along with these cultural activities, English language seminars will be held at the universities to help improve students’ English skills and share with them Australia’s highly successful English teaching methods. Information drawn from the film and the performances will be integrated into the seminars to deepen students’ understanding of Australian education and culture.

A friendly football tournament will be held on 17 February between teams from Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security, the Australian Embassy in Hanoi, and police from the Australian State of Victoria. The Victorian Police will also run a football clinic at the Birla Children’s Village orphanage in Hanoi, and donate sports equipment to the orphanage.

The Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) will host a family barbecue on 25 February for Vietnamese who have studied at Australian education institutions under Australian Development Scholarships (ADS) and Australian Leadership Awards (ALA) to enhance links between these alumni.

Australia’s Ambassador to Vietnam Mr Allaster Cox said, “Australia is proud to share our culture and approach to education with Vietnamese people through Australia Week. Cultural events throughout the week will give many young Vietnamese a new understanding of Australia’s traditional culture, and how that’s been embraced by modern Australian artists. And the English seminars will give Vietnamese students a chance to benefit from Australia’s world-class education and training system.”

Additional information on cultural events is provided below. If you require further information, please contact Ms Dinh Thi Viet Anh, Public Affairs and Media Liaison Manager, Australian Embassy in Hanoi (phone: 04 3774 0232, mobile: 0903 423 440, email: [email protected]).

Additional information:
Bran Nue Dae is a charming Australian musical comedy which centres on the romantic adventures of a young aboriginal couple set against a spectacularly beautiful remote Australia. It highlights Australian Indigenous culture, tradition and humour. Released in 2010, the film won numerous awards, including the Melbourne International Film Festival Award. The film features several of Australia’s most popular stars, including Missy Higgins, one of Australia's best known musicians, Geoffrey Rush, a former winner of the Oscar for Best Actor, and Magda Szubanski, one of Australia's most loved and celebrated comic actors.
This movie will be screened at
+ Water Resources University at 8pm on Monday 20 February
+ Hanoi Medical University at 6.30pm on Tuesday 21 February
+ University of Commerce at 5.30pm on Friday 24 February
Free entry

Inspired by the culture of indigenous communities from Australia’s east, north, and desert centre, Visions of a Nomad play an eclectic mix of world jazz fusion and classically influenced music. The Aboriginal didgeridoo forms an important part of the group’s original, evocative and energetic repertoire. Internationally acclaimed, Visions of a Nomad cross musical boundaries and continue old and new musical traditions.

Visions of a Nomad will perform at
+ University of Foreign Trade at 3.30pm on Thursday 23 February
+ University of Commerce at 3.30pm on Friday 24 February
Free entry