The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on May 20 announced its hosting of the 2026 Korea Season in Thailand and Vietnam. Shown are participants making jang (fermented sauce) at a lecture hosted by the Korean Cultural Center (KCC) in Thailand from May 10-11. (KCC in Thailand)

By Lee Dasom

Thailand and Vietnam this month will host cultural and performing arts events featuring Korean culture.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Seoul on May 20 announced its joint hosting of the 2026 Korea Season in both countries along with Korean Cultural Centers in Bangkok and Hanoi and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange.

"Gat," an original production that reinterprets the eponymous traditional male hat in ballet form, is slated for May 23 at the theater KBank Siam Pic-Ganesha in Bangkok and May 27 at Ho Guom Opera in Hanoi.

In October, musicians from Korea, Thailand and Vietnam in October will jointly perform at the K-Live Festival held at UOB Live in Thailand and the Korean Embassy in Vietnam. The next month, the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra will perform a classical music reinterpretation of K-pop hits at Ho Guom Opera.

Exhibitions of media art based on traditional Korean culture are also slated for the end of the year in both Southeast Asian nations. The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology will hold a tiger exhibition from December to January next year.

Korea Season will also hold year-round cultural events. A "K-Day" Hanbok (traditional clothing) design exhibition and experience and a Hansik (traditional food) festival on the occasion of Kimchi Day (Nov. 22) are slated in Thailand.

Vietnam will see a Korean cultural festival at the stone wall road of the Korean Embassy, as well as lectures on Korean rites of passage and a "K-Game Week."

Kim Hyun Jun, director-general of the ministry's International Cultural Affairs Policy Division, said, "We will deepen mutual cultural understanding by showcasing the diverse appeal of K-culture in both countries while stimulating bilateral exchange."

Official Thai (left) and Vietnamese (right) posters for 2026 Korean Season (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)