From February 24-25, 2026, the Vietnam-Japan International Exchange Organization (FAVIJA), in coordination with volunteer students from the Rotary Club of Chuo University (Japan), presented 10 wheelchairs free of charge to disadvantaged children and persons with disabilities in several southern provinces and cities of Vietnam.

On February 12 in Hanoi, UNESCO and the Government of Japan signed an agreement to implement the project entitled “Strengthening Viet Nam’s Capacity on Early Warning, Disaster Risk Reduction and Safe Learning Environment,” aimed at enhancing early warning capabilities, preparedness, and post-disaster recovery in Vietnam.

On November 30, in Tokyo, the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, in coordination with the Vietnamese Ministry of Home Affairs, organized “Vietnam Labor Day in Japan 2025”, honoring the contributions of the Vietnamese labor community, while affirming its quality and increasingly prominent position in the Japanese labor market.

Hikaru Watanabe was honored on stage at the 19th Vietnamese Speech Contest in Japan held on November 2, shining under the lights and applause. Holding the microphone, he spoke about his journey to the Vietnamese language: the early days of confusion in Hanoi, friendships formed in the classroom, familiar pho shops, and moments of saying things wrong and then laughing together. In that moment, Hikaru Watanabe was not only a contestant but also living proof of the connecting power of language, an inspiration to foreign friends who love Vietnamese.