BRUSSELS — Việt Nam has made use of ManiFiesta 2026, an annual solidarity festival hosted by the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB), to introduce its achievements in the Đổi mới (renewal) process while promoting the country’s culture, products and message of peace and development to international friends.

The festival, held in the Belgian coastal city of Oostende on September 12–13, brought together hundreds of people from far and wide. At MundoFiesta, a space for international exchanges, the Vietnamese booth drew considerable attention from visitors.

Organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium, the booth was decorated with the Vietnamese and Belgian national flags side by side, along with bilingual panels depicting the life of President Hồ Chí Minh through archival photographs, from his departure from Việt Nam aboard the Latouche Treville for France in 1911 to his years of revolutionary activities. Bilingual books about him were also displayed.

Lacquered wooden puppets and postcards featuring Vietnamese ethnic minority women in colourful embroidered costumes offered visitors a glimpse into Việt Nam’s cultural diversity. For many Europeans encountering Vietnamese water puppetry for the first time, the exhibits provided a starting point for conversations about the country’s culture and history.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Belgium Nguyễn Hương Trà said Việt Nam’s participation in the festival was an opportunity not only to demonstrate solidarity and friendship with international friends but also to promote cooperation with countries and political parties worldwide.

The event offered a chance for the embassy and Vietnamese community to showcase the country's traditional cultural values and specialties such as tea and coffee. More importantly, she said, Việt Nam wanted international friends to see the country not merely as one that had experienced war, but as a peaceful nation and prosperous developing economy.

Many delegations showed their great admiration for Việt Nam’s Đổi mới achievements, and wished to learn from its development policies and methods, the diplomat said.

During the festival, Trà met with PTB Deputy General Secretary Benjamin Pestieau, PTB Political Director David Pestieau, Nicaraguan Ambassador to Belgium and the EU Cesar Augusto Castaneda Lacayo, and a representative of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), during which she shared information about Việt Nam and expressed the wish to strengthen solidarity and cooperation for mutual development.

Beyond exhibition spaces, ManiFiesta 2026 featured musical and cultural performances, discussions on social justice, workers’ rights, healthcare, education, climate protection and international peace, as well as a book fair, documentary screenings, children’s activities and international cuisine. —  VNA/VNS