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The information was released at a working session between Chairman of the People’s Committee of Hanoi Nguyen Duc Chung and outgoing Japanese Ambassador Kunio Umeda on March 18.

The annual event aims to promote cultural exchanges, friendship and mutual understanding between the Vietnamese and Japanese people.

After four years of successful organisation, the festival has become a venue for local people and tourists to admire thousands of cherry blossom trees and branches transported from Japan to Vietnam.

The Japanese cherry blossom festival 2019, which took place in Hanoi from March 29 to April 2, attracted more than one million visitors.

Nearly 30,000 cherry blossom trees and branches along with local flowers were displayed at the event.

The diplomat said that the pandemic developments may hamper the granting of work permits for Japanese labourers in Hanoi. Therefore, he proposed the city consider extending the validity of existing work permits.

Regarding the urban metro line No.2 project, he suggested the city leader to soon approve the Nam Thang Long – Tran Hung Dao route towards early construction.

Chung spoke highly of the ambassador’s contributions to bilateral cooperation, adding that both sides have coordinated closely in cultural exchanges and tourism and trade cooperation activities, and in implementing projects funded with Japan’s official development assistance (ODA).

He committed to creating favourable conditions to solve difficulties facing Japanese enterprises, showing his hope that Umeda, in his new position, will continue contributing to boosting bilateral relations./.