A wide range of cultural exchange activities are set to be held from February 23 to February 26 during the Vietnam - Japan Festival 2023 which will take place in Ho Chi Minh City.
Watanabe Nobuhiro, Japanese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, addresses the press conference of the 8th Vietnam - Japan Festival on February 16.
According to Tran Phuoc Anh, director of the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs, the Vietnam - Japan Festival 2023, the eighth of its kind, will mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and will be the largest-scale event so far.
Highlighted activities taking place during the festival include trade, culinary, and tourism exchange programmes, a Vietnam - Japan cultural and art exchange programme, a trade and tourism promotion programme, a seminar on Vietnam - Japan culinary culture, and a Manga festival.
The festival is expected to continue affirming the Vietnam - Japan extensive strategic partnership, thereby enhancing cultural exchanges between both countries. It will also help to contribute to promoting trade, investment, and tourism, whilst simultaneously strengthening the friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.
According to Watanabe Nobuhiro, Japanese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, the two countries enjoy a long-standing relationship with many similarities in terms of culture. Currently, he said the relationship is developing substantively, especially in culture, sports, and tourism.
Japan now ranks third among 141 countries and territories investing in the Vietnamese market.
There are 2,000 Japanese companies operating in Vietnam, as well as about 20,000 Japanese people living and working in the country.