More than 15,000 citizens from the Indian coastal city Puducherry attended the opening of the 5th Vietnam- India Cultural Festival opened on December 16.

The four-day event was jointly held by the India-Vietnam and Vietnam-India Friendship Associations and the All-India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO).
AIPSO General Secretary Palap Sengupta believed that the festival will be successful and actively help promote mutual understanding between the two peoples and strengthen the two countries’ relationship.
The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations’ (VUFO) General Secretary Nguyen Thi Hoang Van thanked the Indian people for their great support and assistance to Vietnam during its course of national liberation and construction.
She said that the festival is an important event to celebrate the 2012 Vietnam-India Friendship Year, the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties (January 7th) and fifth anniversary of their strategic partnership (July 6th).
More than 20 performances by Vietnamese and Indian artists featuring Vietnam’s land and people, late President Ho Chi Minh and  Vietnam-India  received thunderous applauds from the participants and millions of Indian television viewers.
The same day, the Vietnamese delegation met with meetings with the city Mayor Rangagsamy and representatives from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the AIPSO.
They highlighted the traditional ties of Vietnam-India relationship fostered  by the late President Ho Chi Minh and the late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Neru.