WELCOME PARTIES: Officials from Đà Nẵng City and Japan join the opening ceremony of the Việt Nam-Japan Cultural Festival. Photo courtesy of Trần Lê Lâm

ĐÀ NẴNG — A special Bon Odori dance to the echo of a Taiko drum heralded the beginning of the special Việt Nam-Japan Cultural Festival, now in its tenth year, in the central city of Đà Nẵng.

Thousands of visitors were at Biển Đông (East Sea) Park on July 4 to enjoy a series of entertainments, art performances, exhibitions and cultural exchanges here and throughout the city until July 7.

The newly-appointed Japanese Ambassador to Việt Nam, Ito Naoki, said he was honoured to join the celebrations.

The annual festival also marked the launch of a direct Narita-Đà Nẵng flight of the national carrier Vietnam Airlines.

DRUMMING CIRCLE: Japanese artists demonstrate a Taiko drum at the Việt Nam-Japan Cultural Festival in Đà Nẵng on July 4. Photo courtesy of Trần Lê Lâm

This year’s festival also welcomed Imai Eriko, a member of the house of Councillors and other members of Japan Parliamentary Friendship League under the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan including Yamamoto Gousei, Akagi Masayuki, Yoshida Tomoyo and the Deputy Mayor of Sakai City, Motoya Kazuhiro.

Last year was a special one, marking the 50th anniversary of Việt Nam-Japan diplomatic ties with a visit by Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko in September and the elevation of relations of the two countries to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership – the highest tier in partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World – in November.

“This year will be the first stone of the next 50-year course that will be building from the previous successful diplomatic ties establishment. I expect that all members of Đà Nẵng City and Japanese businesses at the event will keep strengthening the deeper people-to-people exchanges through cultural and sports activities as well as tourism and economic co-operations,” Ito Naoki said.

“Đà Nẵng was the first destination since I took the charge in Việt Nam in May. I can feel positive energy from young Vietnamese people that I have met, and driving force for development with diversify of culture in Việt Nam."

He added that the Japanese Consulate General in Đà Nẵng, led by Mori Takero has been actively boosting the relationship between Đà Nẵng and Japan.

The Ambassador revealed that more than 200 Japanese investors are operating in central region of Việt Nam, but Đà Nẵng is a focus with 254 projects worth US$1.02 billion.

FOLK DANCING: Vietnamese and Japanese participants at the Việt Nam-Japan Cultural Festival. The event has been successfully organised in the city since 2014. Photo courtesy of Lê Lâm

Some recent key projects from Pasona Group and the Rorze company in hi-tech industries have helped Đà Nẵng City become a meet up rendezvous of hi-tech centres in ASEAN, he added.

Đà Nẵng City has inked Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Kawasaki, Sakai, Yokohama, Mimasaka (Okayama Prefecture) and Kisarazu (Chiba Prefecture), while Đà Nẵng have involved exchanges with other cities Shiga, Goto (Nagasaki), Kobe and Niihama (Ehime).

Tourism too is flourishing between the two countries, last year 570,000 Vietnamese tourists visited Japan, with numbers forecast to reach one million in 2030. VNS