Vietnamese people will be doing the Diski Dance during the World Cup, taught to them by a group of young dancers from Johannesburg.
A group of young Diski dancers, representing the seven regions of Johannesburg, are in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to perform in a South Africa's Freedom Day celebration and to promote the 2010 FIFA World Cup, according to a Monday annoucement by the City of Johannesburg.
The 12 girls and two boys, aged between 15 and 20 years of age, accompanied by their chorographer, left town on 23 April, and return a week later on 30 April.
This initiative is part of a programme of cultural exchanges between Johannesburg and the economic capital of Vietnam. This follows a twinning memorandum signed by Executive Mayor Amos Masondo and Le Hoang Quan, the chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, on 10 November 2009.
The Diski Dance Group will perform at the national celebration in Ho Chi Minh City today and on 27 April in the capital, Hanoi. The objective of the visit is to showcase South Africa's rich and vibrant culture and the talents of the country's youth.
They will also be promoting Johannesburg as an important host city of the World Cup. Johannesburg and Ho Chi Minh are the "economic hubs" of their respective countries.
In November 2009, Masondo led a delegation from Johannesburg to Vietnam, India and Russia to promote trade and investment and facilitate cultural exchanges. Following his visit, South Africa also opened an honorary consulate in the Vietnamese city. These new relationships have helped to expand bilateral relations on the diplomatic, economic and cultural fronts.
The City expects to see increased economic and trade promotion and co-operation in the future; it also wants to expand its focus on other areas of bilateral co-operation, such as increased tourism; cultural and eco-tourism; exchange of information on the preservation of heritage sites; budget tour packages and tour guide training exchange programmes; and exchange of skills development.
The appointment of Do Thi Kim Lien as the South African honorary consul in Ho Chi Minh City will, in her words, provide "a spiritual home for all South Africans residing there".
In turn, consular services such as visa applications, information about South Africa and other activities aimed at attracting more interest from Vietnamese citizens and corporates to do business in South Africa, will be available Vietnamese people in the city.
