Governor of Kanagawa prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji and Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam attend the event in Vietnamese traditional clothes. Photos: International Cooperation Department, Ministry of of Culture, Sports and Tourism

On September 10, in Yokohama City, the Kanagawa Prefectural Government in collaboration with the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam held an opening ceremony of 2022 Vietnam Festival in Kanagawa.

The event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam, Governor of Kanagawa prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji, and a large number of local residents, overseas Vietnamese in Japan and international tourists.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Kuroiwa Yuji highlighted this year's Vietnam Festival in Kanagawa was held after two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year’s theme was “Lighting up the future, Kanagawa-Vietnam.” The festival brings many cultural activities such as art performances, booths introducing Vietnam's cultural heritage, tourism and cuisine, especially water puppet performances by the Vietnamese Puppet Theater troupe bring the typical cultural features of Vietnam at the festival.

The Kanagawa Governor described the festival as a bridge to develop the friendship between Vietnam and the Japanese prefecture.

On behalf of the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, the Governor would like to thank the Embassy of Vietnam in Japan, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam for their cooperation in organizing this festival.

Yuji welcomed the Vietnam Puppet Theater troupe who came to perform at the festival, a unique Vietnamese art form loved by many Japanese people. The Governor thanked the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam for sending the water puppetry troupe and other groups to perform at the festival.

Ambassador Nam highlighted the return of the 2022 festival, expressing his hope that the annual event will contribute to deepening relations between Vietnam and the Japanese prefecture.

Nam introduced the origin history of the water puppet performances - a traditional art of Vietnamese villages that is preserved and handed down to this day, sharing many similarities with the cultural history of Japan.

The festival also featured over stalls showcasing cultural products, food, handicrafts and specialties of Vietnamese localities.

The festival was first held in 2015 and since then become an annual cultural activity in Kanagawa.

Visitors enjoy Vietnamese traditional art performances.

Lion dancing.

The event offered a variety of programs that visitors can join in, interact with others and get to know new aspects of Vietnam.

Originating from rural life centuries ago, water puppetry has become a unique traditional art form of Vietnam that exists nowhere else in the world, a national intangible cultural heritage.

Earlier, on September 9, a forum discussing Vietnam’s business environment was held in Kanagawa during which Vietnamese localities and Japanese enterprises showcased their strengths, demand and incentives at stalls.

As of June 2022, Japan invested in 4,873 projects worth nearly USD 65 billion in Vietnam. In the first half of this year, there were 82 new projects and 64 others with additional capital worth about USD 1 billion from Japan, most of them were by those from Kanagawa.

Leaders of Long An and Ha Nam provinces, Hoi An city also introduced their strengths and incentives to Japanese investors.

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