The administration of Quang Ninh province and Takebe Tsutomu, special advisor of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Alliance hold a meeting on February 28. Photo: daidoanket.vn

The Hokkaido festival is scheduled to take place in Ha Long city in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh this November to mark the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations which were originally established in 1973, VOV reported Wednesday.

This information was released at a meeting between the administration of Quang Ninh province and Takebe Tsutomu, special advisor of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Alliance on February 28.

The festival represents be a good chance for young people to gain a greater understanding about Japanese culture and to thereby build bridges connecting the two countries.

The event will feature Japanese tea, Origami (Japanese paper folding craft), Japanese comics, and other products from Hokkaido Prefecture which will be put on display.

At the meeting, the two sides discussed the establishment of a representative office of Ha Long University in Japan, with the goal of enhancing the exchange of students and teachers, as well as supporting Japanese and Vietnamese businesses to expand operations in both countries.

Designer Kobayashi Eiko at a kimono show in Hungary in 2019. Source: Be-Japon

Meanwhile, a fashion show entitled "Kimono - Ao dai Fashion Show" will be held in Hanoi on March 4 by non-profit organization Be-Japon in collaboration with the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam and BRG Group.

The cultural event is a part of the activities in celebration of the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan (1973-2023), The Hanoi Times reported.

Renowned Japanese designer Kobayashi Eiko is the director of the shows, which will take place at 2 pm and 7 pm on March 4 at the InterContinental Hanoi Westlake Hotel.

During each one-hour show, models will perform a catwalk showcasing 30 national costumes from Vietnam and Japan. The highlight is the performance of the junihitoe, which was only used in great Japanese imperial ceremonies some 1,000 years ago. At the same time, the Vietnamese ao dai in the show was tailored from Japanese kimono-producing fabrics.

“Japan and Vietnam not only have a special political trust relationship but also have generational exchanges between the two countries, in which the exchange of the young generation from the two countries is increasing. I think that the understanding and empathy between people and people are the foundation for Japan-Vietnam exchanges that are developing strongly and rapidly like currently,” says Yamada Takio, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam.

“I hope that the fashion show will create audiences the opportunities to explore the similarities in traditional costumes and aesthetic conceptions of the two countries, as well as feel the potential to develop further in the future,” he added.

Designer Kobayashi Eiko also showed her pride to implement the special cultural exchange event.

"With the experience of conducting cultural and fashion exchange events around the world, I will do my best with Japanese traditional instrumentalists and dancers, bringing an impressive and emotional art show to glorify the beauty of traditional national costumes and the quintessence of the cultures from the two countries,” the designer added.

At the Japan-Vietnam summit meeting held in Cambodia in November last year, the logo for the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan was unveiled in the presence of Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. Throughout this year, various events will take place to celebrate the milestone in both countries.

Last weekend, the 8th Vietnam-Japan Festival kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City under the theme of “Vietnam-Japan stand side by side towards the future, reaching out to the world”.

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