VIETNAMESE DAY IN FUZJA // 21.09.2025

Announcement of the Łódź of Many Cultures Festival 2025

What is it about?

Vietnamese Day is a unique event dedicated to one of the most important and visible national minorities in Łódź. For years, the Vietnamese community has been contributing to the cultural landscape of the city, combining tradition and modernity, local and global elements.

Together with the festival, this day is co-created by Vietnamese people living in Poland – both those who arrived here twenty years ago and those who have settled here recently. We have invited the following people to collaborate with us: 

• Association of Vietnamese in Poland (Vietnamese Community in Poland),
• Viet Ba Cultural Centre in Warsaw (Nhà Văn hóa Việt Ba tại Warszawa),
• Lily Tran, a restaurateur from Łódź, who has been feeding the residents of Łódź with delicious pho for 20 years.
• artist Kinga Nguyen,
• The Asia and Pacific Museum in Warsaw.

Sunday, 21 September, will be a celebration of Vietnamese culture in Łódź – filled with the aroma of pho, the sounds of traditional instruments, bright lanterns and… Vietnamese tofu! And to finish off – Hanoi-style karaoke for everyone. 

What’s on the program?

TOFU EXHIBITION // 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

The ‘Đậu phụ / tofu’ project – an immersive audiovisual installation by Kinga Nguyen (in collaboration with the ‘powidoki smaków’ group, PWSFTviT). It is a story about the Vietnamese community in Łódź through the prism of tofu – from the 1990s to the present day. The installation engages all the senses to reveal the emotional and social significance of ‘soy curd’. 

BIO: Kinga Nguyen – an artist with Polish-Vietnamese roots, a student of editing at the Łódź Film School, author of experimental documentaries, collaborated with Susana de Sousa Dias in 2022. 

MUSIC AND PERFORMANCES // 3:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Traditional Vietnamese music

4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Solo and vocal performances:

• Solo on T’rung (Victoria Hoa Tran, Vietnamese Centre for Culture and Arts in Poland)
• Singing ‘Meeting in the Dream Forest’ (Le Na)
• Playing the zither – the traditional suite ‘Flowing Water, Golden Coin, Spring Wind, Dragon and Tiger’
• Singing ‘Hello Viet Nam’ (Le Na)

5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Second part of Vietnamese music

6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. – Ritual performance Chầu văn (‘Lady of the Mountains’ – Victoria Hoa Tran), folk songs and dances (‘Chiếc khăn Piêu’, ‘Việt Nam ơi’), Ao Dai costume show.

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Vietnamese karaoke – singing your favourite songs together.

WORKSHOPS // 3:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

• Lanterns – making traditional paper lanterns.
• Dance with fans and instruments (4:30–5:30 p.m.) – Viet Ba Cultural Centre, dance performance “Hương đất Việt”.
• Vietnamese language – workshops conducted by Thu Ha Truong, a literary translator and language researcher living in Łódź.

VIETNAM STANDS // 3:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

• Asia-Pacific Museum – presentation of the collection and knowledge about Vietnam.
• Association of Vietnamese in Poland – everyday objects, elements of culture.
• We Love Phở Association – books about pho soup.
• Expert stand – Andżelika Serwatka (Boym Institute, expert on South-East Asia).

VIETNAMESE CUISINE // 3:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m.

Pho by Lily Tran – spring rolls, dumplings, mango and prawn salad, tofu and other specialities. Vietnamese sweets and snacks available for purchase. 

TME POLÓWKA CINEMA // 8 p.m.

Screening of the film Song Lang (2018), directed by Leon Lee. Film in Vietnamese with Polish subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 42 minutes. 

FOR WHOM

For families, young people, Asian cultures enthusiasts, locals curious about the lives of their neighbors and anyone who enjoys cross-cultural events and culinary discoveries.

Why is it worth it?

It’s not just a cultural picnic – it’s an opportunity to get to know and appreciate the presence of the Vietnamese community in Łódź. Through music, stories, flavors and art, we build cross-cultural bridges and strengthen the local community. Vietnamese Day brings dialogue through experience, making it the perfect way to begin the festival with openness and curiosity. 

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Partners:

FUZJA, TME Polówka, Stowarzyszenie Wietnamczyków w Polsce, Stowarzyszenie We Love Phở, Dom Kultury Viet Ba, Muzeum Azji i Pacyfiku, Pho by Lily Tran, Centrum OPUS, NIW-CRSO

Availability

The Elektrownia space in Fuzja is fully accessible with no architectural barriers. However, there are no available restrooms or parking spaces on site. Entrance is from Milionowa Street or Tymienieckiego Street (through the Fabryka Sztuki complex). 

Nearest bus and tram stops: Kilińskiego/Tymienieckiego, Piotrkowska/Milionowa