Vietnamese people in Canada attend a ceremony marking Kings Hùng's Day. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI Overseas Vietnamese communities in nearly 50 countries around the world are slated to take part in a global programme celebrating Kings Hùng's Day, the anniversary of the death of the legendary founders of the nation on April 18.

The programme, themed Peace - An Ancestral Legacy, will be held both on-site and in online formats.

This is a culturally significant event, not only for the Vietnamese communities living, studying and working abroad, but also for international friends who have a deep affection for Việt Nam.

The programme has been organised annually by the Global Vietnamese Ancestral Day Project Committee since 2015 with a similar script. It aims to establish a common cultural day to connect and foster friendship between Vietnamese people worldwide and international friends.

It will take place live in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and will be livestreamed on various social media platforms and media channels, including the Fanpage of Global Vietnamese Ancestral Day - facebook.com/quoctovietnamtoancau.

The programme will include diverse cultural activities like ancestral memorial rituals in countries having statues of Kings Hùng, the "Happy Vietnam" photo exhibition in Russia, the premiere of the musical composition Song of Peace and introduction of the Global Vietnamese Ancestral Day Project at the Influential Vietnamese Forum in France, Poland and Italy.

The commemoration of Kings Hùng, from King Hùng I to King Hùng XVIII, is a national holiday that takes place annually on the 10th day of the third lunar month, which falls on April 18 this year.

The practice of worshipping them in the northern province of Phú Thọ was recognised by UNESCO as part of the world's intangible cultural heritage in 2012. VNS