An annual Vietnamese cultural festival titled Dragon and Butterfly will roll into the Italian capital Rome next week with a slew of music and fashion shows and other cultural events.

The festival, inaugurated last year and slated for May 26--July 15 this year, aims at promoting Vietnamese culture in Italy.

It will open with a charity concert with performances by Italian singer Paola Turci and dancer Giorgio Rossi.

The highlight will be a fashion show by top Vietnamese designer Minh Hanh June 7.

Themed A Gift from the Human World, it will showcase 60 outfits made from traditional Vietnamese fabrics like silk and brocade – made by ethnic minorities – and other handmade materials. Her collection will be worn by Italian models and two models from Vietnam, Phuong Lien and Hoang Yen.

The fashion show will be followed by a photo exhibition from June 12 to July 15 titled Objective Vietnam and featuring the works of four Vietnamese photographers – Long Thanh, Duong Minh Long, Hoang Xuan Lam and Hai Dong. It will be on show at the Palazzo Incontro Museum and feature giant photographs of images from Vietnam, past and present.

There will be Vietnamese cooking and Vietnamese martial arts classes at Villa Borghese, Rome’s biggest and most beautiful park.

On May 28 Vietnamese ambassador to Italy, Nguyen Van Nam, and Professor Pietro Mesina, head of the Economic Faculty at Napoli’s Asian University, will hold a seminar on Vietnamese history at the San Lorenzo Church.

Sponsored by the Rome city government, the festival will also see a seminar on investment and cooperation opportunities in Vietnam.