The eighth Japan-Vietnam festival, the largest of its kind, will be held on February 25-26 next year in Ho Chi Minh City on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Consulate General of Japan in the city has announced, accorđing to VNA.

Photo for illustration.

The main theme of the event is “Holding hands together. Towards the future, reaching out to the world.”

The festival organizers want to convey a message that people should look forward to a peaceful world where people can understand, respect, and live together.

Organized based on the concepts of "bilateral cooperation", "co-existence and development", and "building for the future" between Japan and Vietnam, the festival aims to act as a bridge facilitating mutual understanding of culture and tradition between the two countries through holding cultural and sports exchanges.

In 2021, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the seventh Japan-Vietnam Festival was successfully held with the attendance of 240,000 people in the southern hub.

Japan is the third largest trade partner of HCM City and the fifth leading investor of the city. The southern city has formed ties with seven Japanese localities.

Receiving Takebe Tsutomu, special advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on July 28 expected that Tsutomu and the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance would further support the organization of activities in 2023 to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (R) and Takebe Tsutomu, special advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, exchange views on activities to be organized in 2023 to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan. Photo: baoquocte.vn

For his part, Tsutomu assured his host that the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance would participate in organizing commemorative activities and send a group of artists to Vietnam next year.

The special advisor expressed his desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation in education – training, and cultural exchanges, including the organization of the Japan - Vietnam Festival in Ho Chi Minh City and the Hokkaido Festival in Quang Ninh province in 2023.

Tsutomu said he would continue to lobby the Japanese Government to support Vietnamese expatriates living, working, and studying in their host country.

Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue also held a reception for visiting Tsutomu in Hanoi on July 29 afternoon.

Chairman of the National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and visiting Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor to the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance. Photo: VNA

The Japanese special advisor informed his host that in 2013, he was appointed to his post serving the promotion of the Vietnam-Japan University (VJU) project and that his current visit aims at attending the university’s first graduation ceremony.

Hopefully, the VJU will be a "lighthouse" and a symbol of the cooperation relationship between the two countries said the NA leader.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the countries’ diplomatic next year, Takebe suggested planting Japanese and Vietnamese trees and building an innovation center at the university. Commending the ideas, Hue said Vietnam has planned the diplomatic celebration.

Takebe said that currently, there are many Vietnamese interns coming to study and work, contributing significantly to Japan’s economic development of Japan.

Japan is making effort to reform the mechanism to support Vietnamese interns for their work and further study, and to build a safer and more encouraging environment for them, he said.

Takebe hoped to promote cooperation and exchange between parliamentarians and leaders of localities of the two sides via the organization of seminars and talks.

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