St. Patrick's Day

Every year, on March 17th, Irish people and their friends throughout South East Asia and around the world gather to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Ireland’s National Day. The Embassy organises several special events each year to promote Ireland and share our culture.

What we do

One of our great strengths as a country is our people and during the St. Patrick's Day period, visits by Government Ministers complement the ongoing work of our Embassy network and state agencies in promoting awareness of and confidence in Ireland's economic recovery, as well as showing what we have to offer as a nation.

Ministers take part in a range of different events, including meetings about trade and investment opportunities, media interviews, networking events, and bilateral meetings with national, regional and local ministers, along with other high-profile events such as Greening ceremonies.

Since 2010, a very special initiative called ‘Ireland’s Global Greening’ has grown to become a significant worldwide campaign in which landmark sites around the world ‘turn green’ to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. 2019 marks the 10th anniversary of Ireland’s Global Greening. On St Patrick’s Day, over 400 of the world’s most famous landmarks in over 50 countries around the world, such as the Empire State building in New York, City Hall in London, and the Great Wall of China, turned green for the day.

In 2017, Hanoi became the first city in South East Asia to join Ireland’s Global Greening Campaign, and Ly Thai To park became the 100th landmark in the world to go green on St. Patrick’s Day. In 2018 and 2019, Hanoi continued to join the campaign and the Pen Monument in Hoan Kiem lake turned green for the day. Images of Hanoi ‘going green’ have been included in the promotional material of Tourism Ireland as part of a global promotion campaign.

Growing our economy

The focus on Ireland on St. Patrick's Day gives us a valuable opportunity to show the world that this country is open for business and to underline the growing trade links between Vietnam and Ireland. We encourage the building of relationships, investment and trade.

Sharing our culture

We celebrate our rich culture and heritage and we’re proud of its influence on world literature, art and music. St. Patrick’s Day is a great chance for us to share our culture with others, especially in countries where there's less awareness of Ireland. Our Embassy staff in Hanoi work to arrange cultural events including music and dance performances around St. Patrick's Day, drawing lots of positive publicity for Irish culture and for Ireland as a place to visit, study and do business.

Saying thank you

St. Patrick's Day is a great time for Ireland to engage with and thank long-standing partners, friends, voluntary and community organisations and Irish communities around the world for their ongoing support and the contributions they make, particularly in countries such as Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar, where there is no resident Irish presence.