On the morning of July 28, the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union, the Ho Chi Minh City Young Pioneers Organization and the Ho Chi Minh City Children's House jointly opened the eighth Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Children's Festival 2026 under the theme "Friends' Embrace."
Among those attending was Head Duong Anh Duc of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Commission of the HCMC Party Committee.
The Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Children's Festival runs from July 28 to July 30, with the participation of 120 child delegates and 34 youth leaders from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. In addition, 100 other special delegates from Ho Chi Minh City are taking part, including children who participated in previous editions of the festival and delegates who joined exchange programs between Ho Chi Minh City children and children from Champasak Province over the years.
Secretary Ngo Minh Hai of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Union said the festival has been held every two years since 2010, providing an opportunity for children from the three neighboring countries to meet, exchange ideas, and learn about each other's cultures and people. It also offers a chance to reflect on their shared history, appreciate the friendship cultivated by previous generations, and continue strengthening those ties through practical and meaningful exchange activities.
A new feature of this year's festival is that, in addition to traditional education and cultural exchange activities, delegates will experience a variety of Ho Chi Minh City's distinctive cultural and tourism offerings following the merger of Ho Chi Minh City with the former Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province and Binh Duong Province.
Festival delegates will enjoy an artistic performance, experience a nighttime sightseeing tour aboard a double-decker bus, visit the Rung Sac Resistance Base historical site, and explore the An Ngai rice paper craft village and the Phuoc Long Tho water hyacinth weaving craft village.
Following the opening ceremony, delegates took part in traditional Vietnamese folk games, hands-on creative activities, and workshops.
