The Republic of the Philippines and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam are commemorating a major milestone this year — 50 years of diplomatic relations. To mark this golden anniversary, the two nations will host a special cultural showcase titled “𝘙𝘩𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘗𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳: 𝘝𝘪𝘦𝘵𝘯𝘢𝘮 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘢” from 7 to 8 August 2026.

Organized under the framework of the 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙉𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙛 𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚, 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙍𝙚𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙤𝙛 𝙑𝙞𝙚𝙩 𝙉𝙖𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟵, this two-day celebration highlights the shared artistic ties and enduring friendship of both nations through the captivating art of puppetry.

The festivities will begin on Friday, 7 August 2026, at 10:00 AM at Centro Turismo de Intramuros with an interactive puppetry workshop. In a rare collaborative effort, master artists from the Philippines’ 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵 and the 𝘝𝘪𝘦𝘵 𝘕𝘢𝘮 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘦 will offer the public an insider’s look into the intricate craftsmanship and mechanics of traditional puppetry. Admission is free and interested participants must register in advance at bit.ly/VNDaysPuppetWorkshop. Following the workshop, a complementary talk on the 𝘗𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘚𝘌𝘈𝘕 will be held as part of the NCCA’s ASEAN Lecture Series in celebration of ASEAN Month.

The cultural showcase culminates on Saturday, 8 August 2026, at Plaza Moriones in Fort Santiago with a live performance of Vietnam’s world-renowned traditional water puppetry. This ancient art form brings mythical legends and folk tales to life over water, framed by the historic heritage walls of Manila. To secure your slots, register through this link: bit.ly/VNDaysPuppetShow.

This landmark anniversary is a testament to five decades of mutual respect and artistic collaboration. We invite the public to join us in celebrating the power of shared art and cultural harmony between our two nations.

The event is spearheaded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) of the Philippines and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Vietnam.