At a press conference in Hanoi on Nov. 17, Sean Doyle, Ambassador – Head of the European Union delegation in Vietnam, said the festival was part of the celebrations of the 20th anniversary of EU-Vietnam relations and an excellent example of important public diplomacy exchanges in the EU-Vietnam relationship.

The event, co-organised by the EU delegation in Vietnam and five EU member embassies, including Belgium, Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, will feature 22 European musicians, embracing classical music, jazz, world music and pop. Several Vietnamese artists will also perform at the festival.

The European Music Festival is an annual activity originating from the Jazz Music Festival in 2005. In 2009, the festival received a warm response from the Vietnamese public with around 7,500 audience.