Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 will open “Deutschland Year in Vietnam 2010”, celebrating the 35th anniversary of Vietnam-Germany relationships.

The German ambassador to Vietnam Rolf Schulze said in a press conference on January 19 that besides “Deutschland Year in Vietnam 2010” and “Vietnamese Year in German 2010”, the two countries will celebrate the 35^th anniversary of diplomatic relationships with various programs in economics, politics, culture and socials.

As one of the largest European Union partners of Vietnam, Germany highly appreciates Vietnam’s admission to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), its elected membership of the UN Security Council in 2008-2009 term and its current ASEAN chairmanship, the Ambassador said.

“The German government sees Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship as a significant event to promote cooperation between Germany and partners in Southeast Asia,” he added.

German Year in Vietnam 2010 concentrates on two topics: urban development and the environment.

The year 2010 is an important one for bilateral relations between Germany and Vietnam with a wide range of events and activities planned to reflect the breadth and depth of the two nations’ relationship.

A host of workshops, fairs, and exhibitions are planned on the topics of environment and urban development, focusing on transport, architecture, environmental protection and climate change.

In the arts category, German photography, movies, dancing and fashion will be highlighted via concerts, photo and film festivals, dance and opera performances, and book and fashion shows.

Other workshops and seminars will be held on the topics of water and forestry issues, immigrants, cultural preservation, Germany-Vietnam diplomatic ties, another on Vietnam-German economic cooperation and a seminar on economic model for Vietnam.

Youth cultural exchanges, chess competitions, visits from German politicians, and discussions on educational cooperation, will be held throughout the year.

This year will also see a high-ranking international seminar held to discuss economic cooperation between Vietnam and Germany.

The German Foreign Affairs Ministry and Goethe Institute in Ho Chi Minh City will be responsible for holding the year-long activities to draw attention to German culture in particular and Europe in general.

The opening ceremony of the German Year in Vietnam 2010 will take place at the Hanoi Opera House on January 23 and it will be opened by Beethoven’s symphony No. 9.

The show will see the presence of conductor Jonas Alber, who has guided famous symphony orchestra in Germany and the world, four German leading singers, the Berlin chorus and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra.

XL