(VNF) - A Vietnam Festival with the theme of “Feel Vietnam” took place in Yokohama city of Kanagawa Prefecture on September 16^th-17^th, marking it as one of the largest Vietnamese festivals in Japan.

Visitors enjoy a water puppet show in the festival. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Japan)

The event was attended by Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong, 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 the scale of the 2017 festival, expressing his hope that the annual event will contribute to deepening relations between Vietnam and the Japanese prefecture.

Minister Thien spoke highly of the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Japan, affirming that Japan is a long-term and important partner of Vietnam.

Therefore, the relationship between Vietnam and Kanagawa prefecture will continue developing strongly in all fields in the future, Thien said.

According to the minister, Vietnam welcomed over 700,000 Japanese tourists in 2016, while more than 200,000 Vietnamese holiday-makers visited Japan.

He expressed his hope that the two nations will continue sharing values of the traditional cultures to bring their people closer to each other.

The festival featured over 100 stalls showcasing cultural products, food, handicrafts and specialties of Vietnamese localities.

Art performance by Vietnamese artists at the gala dinner. (Source: Vietnamese Embassy in Japan)

An exhibition space affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos was also organised during the festival.

The event attracted around 500,000 visitors and contribute to the enhancement of the Vietnam-Japan friendship while expanding economic and tourist exchanges./.

VNF