Hangeul Party spreads beauty of Korean characters in Vietnam

Hangeul Party, an event aimed at promoting the beauty of Hangeul, which has played a crucial role in shaping Korean culture, was held in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City from June 21 to 24.

The event was hosted and organized by the nongovernmental organization Hangeul Planet and The Korea Herald and sponsored by HiteJinro, South Korea's dominant soju and beer seller.

At the Hangeul Party, students who major in Korean language at two Vietnamese universities -- the University of Economics and Finance and Thu Duc College of Technology -- Vietnamese learning Korean at King Sejong Institute in Ho Chi Minh 3 and students from Starlight International Kindergarten & School and Korean International School HCMC learned Korean content through Korean characters.

The four-day event was held at five locations in Ho Chi Minh City, with renowned calligraphy artist Park Byung-chul and other authors attending and enjoying the meaningful experience of sharing the beauty of Hangeul with Vietnamese college students and children. The artist and authors offered Korean learners the opportunity to delve into the beauty of Korean characters through calligraphy and writing activities. They also wrote participants' names in Korean.

"There were not a lot of special opportunities like (the Hangeul Park) even though we major in Korean language, but I hope this kind of event would continue in the future, and hope (the artists and authors) could keep visiting our school," dean of Korean language at Thu Duc College of Technology Tran Thi Van Yen was quoted as saying in a press release.

Hangeul Party started as a simple event hosted by the Korean Consulate-General in May 2015 at the University of Chicago and the University of Minnesota. Currently, Hangeul Planet annually hosts the events in various countries to spread the charm and beauty of Hangeul.

So far, the Hangeul Party has been held in Minnesota, Atlanta, Chicago, Brazil's Sao Paulo and Ho Chi Minh City. It is set for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City next year.