On October 18, the Consulate General of Viet Nam in Fukuoka held a launch ceremony and press conference to introduce the 2026 festival, which will also mark Vietnamese Culture Day on November 24.

The event is jointly organized by the Consulate General of Viet Nam in Fukuoka, the Global Network for Vietnamese Language Teaching and Cultural Preservation, the Vietnamese Association in Fukuoka, the Viet Nam-Japan Trade and Investment Promotion Business Association in Kyushu, and the Vietnamese Women's Association in Kyushu.

Under the theme “Unity - Integration - Preserving Vietnamese Culture - Looking Toward the Homeland,” the festival is expected to attract thousands of participants, including Vietnamese communities across Kyushu and Okinawa, representatives of associations and businesses, Vietnamese-Japanese families, and Japanese and international friends.

Fukuoka to Feature a “Vietnamese Village” at 2026 Unity Festival (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the press conference, Nguyen Thanh Trung, Consul at the Consulate General of Viet Nam in Fukuoka, praised the cooperation among associations, businesses and the Vietnamese community in continuing the festival. He emphasized that national unity is particularly important for overseas Vietnamese, helping them strengthen bonds, support one another, preserve the Vietnamese language and cultural identity, maintain ties with their homeland, and integrate positively into their host society.

First held in Fukuoka in 2025, the festival created a meeting space for associations, businesses, families and Vietnamese people living, studying and working in Japan. Building on that foundation, the 2026 edition will expand opportunities for interaction and cultural exchange with the local community. Participants will not only meet one another but also actively introduce, practice and pass on Vietnamese cultural values.

The highlight will be the “Vietnamese Village in Fukuoka,” designed as a miniature cultural space representing Viet Nam. Cultural booths will be organized by province, region or theme, showcasing customs, traditional clothing, cuisine, local specialties, folk arts, the Vietnamese language and stories about the homeland.

The festival will feature cultural traditions from the ancestral Hung Kings' homeland, Hanoi and the quan ho folk singing region of Bac Ninh to central Viet Nam, the Central Highlands and southern Viet Nam, highlighting the cultural diversity of the country's 54 ethnic groups.

Another featured activity will be the “Vietnamese Village Passport.” Children and visitors will explore different cultural booths, participate in games, learn Vietnamese and collect commemorative stamps along their journey.

According to the organizers, the initiative aims not only to introduce Vietnamese culture but also to encourage associations, families and individuals to participate directly in developing the program and become active custodians and promoters of Vietnamese identity in Japan. Particular attention will be given to younger generations and Vietnamese-Japanese multicultural families, creating more opportunities for children of Vietnamese descent to engage with the Vietnamese language and their ancestral culture.

The organizing committee holds the draw to determine the groups for the 2026 Kyushu, Japan Great Unity Football Tournament. (Photo: VNA)

Nguyen Duy Anh, a member of the Central Committee of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and head of the festival's organizing committee, said this year's event would not simply repeat the previous edition but would represent a new stage of development. The spirit of unity would be linked to the responsibility of preserving the Vietnamese language, culture and national identity across generations. He described the program's central message as: “Everyone contributes a piece of their homeland.”

In addition to the Vietnamese Village, the festival will feature sports and community exchange activities, with the 2026 Kyushu, Japan Great Unity Football Tournament among its key events. Through interactive experiences, bilingual presentations and direct engagement, the organizers hope to make Vietnamese culture more accessible to Japanese residents and international visitors. The festival also marks a shift from strengthening bonds within the Vietnamese community toward promoting people-to-people exchanges between Viet Nam and Japan.

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