Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs of India participated in the NEIF that was organized in the Vietnamese city of Ho Chi Minh. The pivotal organizer of the event was Shyamkanu Mahanta, who oversaw the three-day function from October 27 to 29 in the third edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF).
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The Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City, the Indian Embassy in Hanoi, the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern region (GOI), the Tourism Ministry (GOI), plus a few lots of the Northeast Indian state governments collaborated to be instrumental in designing this distinguished event that was also coordinated by M/s Trend MMS. The inclusion of dignitaries from both India and Vietnam included numerous personalities spanning from entrepreneurs to institutions, and artists.
Union Minister at the 3rd edition of NEIF
The Union Minister Ranjan Singh on the 27th shared that the festival intends to enhance Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of connecting the northeast Indian region with the rest of Southeast Asia. The Union Minister further stated the PM’s vision to gather the entire world within ‘one family’. Speaking of the similarities between NE India and SE India in terms of culture, folklore, and music, Singh reiterated this ground of commonality between the people of the two nations.
The bilateral meeting saw the Union Minister Ranjan Singh with the Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee – Mr. Bui Xuan Cuong, and the Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ninh Thuan – Mr. Nguyen Long Bien. Besides, the day also assimilated numerous ministers and senior officials from India at the NEIF. Singh got the chance to interact with the members of the Indian Community in the city of Ho Chi Minh.
What is NEIF?
The Northeast India Festival or NEIF is a three-day festive season that reigned from the 27th of October, 2023 to the 29th of October, 2023. This festival comes with a collaboration with the Ministry of External Affairs, that aims to maintain India’s significance in the region by stimulating the ‘Act East Policy’. This year was the third edition of the festival, with the earlier two being held in Bangkok during the years of 2019 and 2022.
Prime Objective
The Union Minister delved into the prime objective of the festival and displayed more than just the diplomatic ties between countries. He said that the event will open the doors of SE Asia to NE India, where we can smoothen the routes of academia, trade, tourism, and cultural exchanges. Not undermining the importance of people-to-people relationships, Singh emphasized the mutual initiatives among the civilians on both sides.
Key Highlights
The key highlights of the NEIF 2023 touched three areas with the main focus. The crucial meetings of the event took place on the second day of the three-day festival that primarily included
- Tourism: A line of B2B gatherings held for the discussion of the tourism sector involving 70 Vietnamese tour operators
- Business: Around 100 entrepreneurs from Vietnam marked their presence in the meetings and talked about ideas about trade and investment
- People’s Exchange: The mutual exchange of people-to-people talks and meetings involved the vice-chancellors of the academic institutions from both Vietnam and North East India.
The Three-Day Event
The event kickstarted on October 27 when the Union Minister stated India’s vision under the stewardship of the Prime Minister to inculcate ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’. The second day of the festival in the September Park of Ho Chi Minh City saw various shows of culture, fashion, music, and exhibitions, marking the dominance of cultural exchange among the presenters. The huge amounts of handicrafts represented the detailed hand-works of Northeast Indians, added to the pomp and gaiety of the day. This event happened in the backdrop of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. For now, its future lies bleak, with minimal chances of a ceasefire.
