Painting Dong Ho folk paintings, making “to he," or toy figurines, a traditional toy made from rice powder, and watching water puppet performances, were unforgettable experiences of Japanese people when attending the Vietnamese Festival held in Yokohama, the capital city of Kanagawa prefecture of Japan.

Taking place from September 9-10, Vietnam Festival in Kanagawa 2023 brings Japanese people experiences of Vietnamese culture through unique art performances such as puppet shows performed by the artists of the Vietnam Puppet Theater, along with many unique ethnic music and dance performances with Quan Ho folk songs of Bac Ninh, which was registered by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage.

Japanese people enjoy unique Vietnamese art performances in Yokohama city, Kanagawa province.

In particular, at this festival, Japanese people can experience Vietnamese artisans coloring characters in traditional Vietnamese water puppetry, making to he, and printing Dong Ho paintings. In addition, typical dishes such as pho, fried spring rolls, beef noodle soup, Vietnamese grilled pork with rice vermicelli noodles, and Vietnamese coffee, were also introduced at the festival, attracting a large number of people to enjoy.

This year, the festival was held in the framework of Vietnam Day in Kanagawa, which also includes various investment and tourism promotion activities.

Addressing the event, Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa Yuji highlighted the meaning of the event, marking the complete recovery of exchange and cooperation activities between the people of Vietnam and Japan in general and Kanagawa in particular after the Covid-19 pandemic.

"In Kanagawa Prefecture, the second largest Vietnamese community among foreign communities in Kanagawa, I hope this event will help strengthen cultural exchanges as well as solidarity between Vietnamese people and foreigners. our local people,” said Kuroiwa.

The Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture enjoyed the experience of making Dong Ho folk painting. Photo: Toquoc.vn

Governor Kuroiwa Yuji initiated this festival on the official visit to Japan of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in 2015. Up to now, the Vietnam festival has been maintained to become a regular cultural exchange and tourism activity in Kanagawa prefecture, becoming one of the outstanding events in cooperation, economic and people-to-people diplomacy between Vietnam and Japan.

He shared that he has enjoyed many different types of Vietnamese art, but he realized that each region of Vietnam has a unique and attractive traditional art form.

At the festival, like many other Japanese people, Kuroiwa enjoyed experiencing making Dong Ho folk paintings, and watching water puppet performances, among others.

At the puppet-making and to he making experience booth of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture enjoyed stopping for a long time. Photo: Toquoc.vn

Sharing with the press, People's Artist Nguyen Tien Dung, director of Vietnam Puppet Theater said that every time he returns to Kanagawa province, it brings him a different, indescribable feeling. Dung and the artists of the Vietnam Puppet Theater, Kanagawa prefecture felt like their second homeland.

"Every year we are honored to be entrusted with the task by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and invited by Kanagawa prefecture to perform at the festival, which proves that water puppetry and Vietnamese puppetry art has conquered the Japanese audience. Every time they come here, artists not only perform water puppetry but also land puppetry, traditional music, and dance. Kanagawa is a recurring destination for our theater. Coming back here, we are no longer guests but are treated like close family members," said Dung.

According to Pham Thu Hang, representative of the booth of Tam Chuc Tourist Area and Trang An Heritage, Japan has a similar culture to Vietnam. They bring the images of Tam Chuc and Trang An to here with the hope of exchanging and connecting to welcome more and more Japanese tourists to Vietnam. "At the booth, we also arrange a period costume booth so that visitors can experience the cultural feel of Vietnam."

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu underlined that the festival is one of many activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

The space to experience puppet painting and toy making attracts many Japanese people, especially children. Photo: Toquoc.vn

Themed "Connecting for the future," the event aims to encourage people of the two countries to foster their connectivity under the motto of "Vietnam and Japan head to the future together and rise to the world".

The diplomat said he hopes the Kanagawa Festival in Vietnam slated for November will be a success.

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