Day Two for Danish Royals in Vietnam

Tuesday was the second official day for Denmark’s royalty in Vietnam. As the Regent couple and the Crown Princely couple worked on strengthening ties between the two nations, they got a taste of Vietnamese culture and how Denmark is helping the country to grow.

First, father and son team – Prince Henrik and Crown Prince Frederik – went to several business conferences in Hanoi. Those seminars focused were: Clean Tech Solutions, Marine Industry, Airport Products & Services, IT, and Meat Technology.

Meanwhile, just outside of Hanoi, Queen Margrethe II and her daughter-in-law Crown Princess Mary were at the Phomex/Anne Black Ceramics Factory. It was there that they got a glimpse of how Danish ceramicist Anne Black got her products made. When offered to try her hand at painting a cup, the Queen did hesitate to do so. She is an artist herself, having illustrated books and designed costumes for ballets over the years. Even Mary took a chance at some ceramic painting.

Later, both women went to the National Arts Museum to learn about cultural initiatives.

After a lunch attended by all four royals, there was an Art Street Festival in Hanoi for the Danish guests to check out. Although Prince Henrik wasn’t there, the rest of the royals had front row seats for the festival. More than 50 dancers, musicians and singers from both Vietnam and Denmark performed near Hoan Kiem Lake in central Hanoi. As one of the Danish performers explained, the point of the street festival is to make art accessible to passer-bys.

The Queen and her family met more Danes living and working in Vietnam at a reception at the National History Museum. Prince Henrik was there this time.

He was also in attendance for a return banquet in the evening, in which the Danish royals thanked their Vietnamese guests for welcoming them to their country.

The Prince Consort might be toning down his engagements for this trip as he has been doing all year. The 75 year-old Henrik has been giving some up of his royal duties so he could go into a sort of retirement.