(VOVworld) – President Truong Tan Sang paid a New Year visit to ethic minority people and attend their spring festival on Saturday in the Culture Tourism Village of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups in Dong Mo on the outskirts of Hanoi. The festival is organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and attended by representatives from Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups and Overseas Vietnamese, who have returned home for the lunar New Year. President Sang said that culture has become a spiritual foundation and an inner strength for the Vietnamese nation to overcome all challenges to advance forward. He added: “We always need to preserve and uphold the cultural traditions of the Vietnamese nation. Our country has 54 ethnic groups, who are united in a strong bloc. I hope that this get-together will help boost the culture of each ethnic group and of the Vietnamese nation as a whole”.

After planting trees, President Sang joined a festival to pray for peace of the Lo Lo ethnic group in Meo Vac district, Ha Giang province. A festival goer Ha Ton Vinh, who lives in the US, told VOV: “I am very moved because organizers have created conditions for us not only to return home but also to participate in many festivals. This is once in a lifetime event for me. Visiting this village, we can enjoy activities of 54 ethnic groups and meet our friends”.

The annual festival of ethnic groups all over Vietnam  has been held over the last 3 years to showcase the best of Vietnamese culture.

The festival of Lo Lo ethnic group