Tuesday, April 9, 2023 - In a lively celebration of regional unity and cultural legacy, the Cultural Exchange Festival with the theme "Colors of Indochina" took place this morning to commemorate the traditional New Year celebrations of Bunpimay in Laos and Chol Chnam Thmay in Cambodia. The Kon Tum campus of the University of Da Nang, in collaboration with the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Friendship Association and the Department of Foreign Affairs in Kon Tum Provincial, organized the event, which drew participants from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Vice Chairman of the Kon Tum Provincial People's Committee Mr. Nguyen Huu Thap was among the distinguished guests, as were members of the Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Friendship Association of Kon Tum province and heads of different provincial departments. The management board of the Kon Tum campus of the University of Da Nang, as well as a sizable number of Laotian and Cambodian students enrolled in the area, attended the event in addition to the provincial departments of education and training and foreign affairs.

At present, the Kon Tum campus of the University of Da Nang is hosting 86 Laotian and 12 Cambodian students as part of the tri-national educational support program. These students are seeking degrees in five majors: economic law, business administration, finance—banking, accounting, and information technology.

Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian students showcased their ethnic costumes in a fashion show at the festival, which featured a diverse array of cultural performances including traditional music and dance. The event also included reenactments of Laotian and Cambodian traditional New Year rituals, such as the blessing of the new year after tying one's wrists and the splashing of fragrant water ritual.

Bunpimay, the traditional New Year in Laos, and Chol Chnam Thmay, the traditional New Year in Cambodia, both take place from April 14 to 16, yearly, much like Vietnam's Lunar New Year celebration. The festival, which is also called the Water Splashing Festival, happens to coincide with the start of the hot season. These New Year's festivities herald the arrival of a year brimming with happiness and prosperity for the people of Cambodia and Laos.

At the Laotian New Year, temples serve as gathering places for the faithful to partake in religious rituals like bathing Buddha, hearing sermons from monks, and the fun splashing of water to wish each other good fortune, health, and plenty in the year to come. An integral aspect of the Bunpimay celebration, the wrist-tying ritual is a symbol of prosperity, health, and good fortune.

The festival then moved into a more carnival-like setting after the ceremonial portion, complete with food booths and traditional games put on by students from Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, all in the heyday of the Bunpimay and Chol Chnam Thmay New Year traditions.