Fantasy: A pattern of fairy dancing on a dragon dating from the 17th century at Lien Hiep Temple, Phuc Tho District, Ha Noi. — File Photo

PARIS (VNS) — Images of dragons and fairies captured at Viet Nam's communal houses are being exhibited for the first time in Paris, France as part of the 16th Foreign Cultures Week, starting on Friday.

The images were taken in 300 out of 600 communal houses in the Hong (Red) River Delta in northern Viet Nam, according to the organisers - the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Viet Nam University of Fine Arts and the Centre on Vietnamese Culture in France.

Speaking at the exhibition, painter Le Anh Van, director of the Viet Nam University of Fine Arts, said that communal houses contained objects with significant artistic value, such as dragon-fairy carvings.

The dragon is an important creature in Vietnamese folklore. According to an ancient creation myth, Vietnamese people are descendants of a dragon and a fairy.

For Vietnamese people, the dragon represents the emperor as well as the prosperity and power of the nation. It also brings rain, which is essential for agriculture.

Ambassador to France Duong Van Quang noted that the event depicted an important part of the Vietnamese culture, and that this kind of exhibition needed to take place more frequently to promote the country's culture to international friends.

A performance called Viet Nam – a Dragon-Fairy Country also took place as part of the opening ceremony. — VNS