The biggest Vietnamese festival in Japan ever

Since its first organization in 2008 at the initiative of the late Senator Matsuda, this is the 15th Festival and one of the key activities in the series of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam - Japan diplomatic relations hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan.

Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang delivers the opening speech at the Vietnam Festival at Yoyogi Park 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

This festival is the largest ever with nearly 150 booths selling Vietnamese goods and cuisine , attracting 400,000 visitors. This is also the first time in 4 years that the festival has a water puppet show performed by artists from the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre.

Attending the opening ceremony were distinguished Japanese guests such as Princess Kako Akishino, senior advisor to the Festival - former Japanese Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, Chairman of the Komeito Party Yamaguchi Natsuo, and many Japanese parliamentarians and local leaders.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on June 3, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang expressed her delight at the positive, comprehensive and increasingly substantive development of the Vietnam-Japan Extensive Strategic Partnership; contacts between high-ranking leaders of the two countries and people-to-people exchanges have taken place regularly and closely.

The Deputy Minister emphasized that after 14 editions, this year's Festival with the theme "Hope" is not only the largest-scale Vietnam-Japan cultural exchange activity in 2023 - the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, but also demonstrates the desire of the governments, localities and people of the two countries to join hands towards the future, bringing the friendly cooperation relationship between the two countries into a new stage of development.

Representing the Japanese Government and guests attending the Opening Ceremony, former Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo and Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa affirmed that the relationship between Japan and Vietnam is at its best period in history and believed that increasing cultural exchange activities, typically this festival, will contribute to strengthening friendship and understanding between the two countries in the coming time.

Former Prime Minister Fukuda Yasuo said that the fact that many young Vietnamese people are currently studying Japanese and coming to Japan is a testament to the extremely good relationship between Vietnam and Japan. Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa affirmed that the Vietnam-Japan relationship is developing strongly in all areas, expressing his desire to bring the relationship between the two countries to a new height.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/chinh-tri/le-hoi-viet-nam-tai-nhat-ban-lon-nhat-tu-truoc-den-nay-20230604174912806.htm