President Vo Van Thuong and his spouse hosted a reception in Hanoi on September 22 for visiting Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan, VNA reported.

Thuong expressed his belief that the visit by the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will significantly contribute to enhancing understanding between the people of the two countries and creating a firm foundation for the bilateral friendship and cooperation to grow further in the future.

President Vo Van Thuong (R) and Japanese Crown Prince Akishino. Photo: VNA

The President noted with pleasure positive results in the bilateral collaboration in all spheres, from politics to economy, trade, investment, culture, and education-training, as well as cooperation between localities and people-to-people exchange.

The Vietnam-Japan relationship is at its best ever, Thuong affirmed, adding that there is an adequate basis for the two countries to elevate it to a new high in the time ahead.

The President suggested Japan create more favorable conditions for nearly 500,000 Vietnamese to live, study, and work in the host country, and pledged that Vietnam will create optimal conditions for Japanese businesses and people to operate and live in the Southeast Asian nation.

For their part, the Japanese couple conveyed the message from Emperor Naruhito and the Empress to President Thuong and his spouse, in which the Emperor extended his regards to the Vietnamese couple and expressed his hope that the visit by the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess will contribute to strengthening the friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

For his part, Crown Prince Akishino expressed his impressions on quick and great changes and development in Vietnam since his visit to the country 11 years ago and rejoiced at the strong, comprehensive, and outstanding development of the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership over the past time.

He stressed that similarities in culture and mutual respect have created a firm friendship foundation between the two countries, which has been inherited, cultivated, and strengthened by successive generations.

Thuong and his spouse asked the guests to convey their invitation to the Emperor and the Empress to visit Vietnam at an early date.

The same day, Japan's Crown Prince and Crown Princess watched a new opera at the Hanoi Opera House. The opera “Princess Anio”, which recounts a 17th-century love story between a Vietnamese princess and a Japanese merchant, was performed to mark the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties.

Japan's Crown Prince and Crown Princess watched a new opera at the Hanoi Opera House. Source: Vietnamnet.vn

The story involves Araki Sotaro, a Red Seal ship trader who lived from the Azuchi Momoyama period to the Edo period. He traveled from Nagasaki to Dang Trong in central Vietnam, gaining the trust of King Nguyen Phuc Nguyen of Dang Trong and marrying his daughter, Princess Ngoc Hoa.

Sotaro brought Princess Ngoc Hoa to Nagasaki as his wife, with the princess became known to the people of Nagasaki as Anio-san, spending the rest of her life there.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries, the opera stands as a symbol of future diplomacy that taps into the ancient history of friendship and mutual respect between the two countries.

The opera is based on a real love story between Japanese merchant Araki Sotaro and Princess Ngoc Hoa (called Princess Anio by the Japanese) in Hoi An, Vietnam, during the trading era of the Shuinsen in the early 17th century. Source: Vietnamnet.vn

Within the framework of his visit to Vietnam, on September 23, Crown Prince Akishino visited the Biological Museum of VNU University of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, where preserves the specimens of white goby and Onagadori chicken—gifts from the Japanese Royal Family, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

Devoted to freshwater fish research, in the 70s, while conducting his essay, Emperor Emeritus Akihito, who was then a prince, discovered a new species of white goby at Can Tho River, Vietnam. The specimen of the fish was sent to the Biological Museum under VNU in 1976. Source: Thanh Nien newspaper

The white goby was given to the museum by then Crown Prince Akihito (now the Emperor Emeritus) in 1976. The Onagadori chicken is a precious chicken breed in Japan and was a gift from Crown Prince Akishino on August 17, 2012.

Like his parents, Crown Prince Akishino is very passionate about learning and researching science, especially biology.

Meanwhile, Crown Princess Kiko visited a cafe and craft workshop (Nam Tu Liem district, Hanoi) of Kymviet Space, a Vietnamese handicraft production and trading establishment founded by people with disabilities to create jobs for people with disabilities in the country. Here, the Princess met and talked with workers and employees using sign language.

Crown Princess Kiko also learned language symbols. The Crown Princess's visit to Kymviet took place on International Day of Sign Languages (September 23).

Crown Princess Kiko really likes a stuffed dragon made by a disabled craftsman. Source: Thanh Nien newspaper

Pham Viet Hoai, founder and chairman of the Board of Directors of Kymviet, shared that he was very honored when Princess Kiko visited and encouraged disabled workers. Hoai also said that Crown Princess Kiko really likes handmade fabric products made by workers with disabilities.

On the afternoon of September 23, Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko traveled to the Central region and had some activities in Da Nang and Quang Nam.

Crown Princess Kiko learns to sign in Vietnamese. Source: Thanh Nien newspaper

Japanese Crown Prince's Vietnam Visit - Milestone Deepening Bilateral Relations Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan hosted a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi for Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, ...

50 Years of Vietnam-Japan Relations: Solid Foundation For Effective Cooperation After 50 years, the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan have been consolidated and developed comprehensively in all fields. It has become a bright ...

Vietnam-Japan Bolster Bilateral Relations With the sincerity between the people of the two countries, and the support and consensus of the leaders of Vietnam and Japan, the two countries ...