The upcoming 11th Việt Nam-Japan Festival will feature a record 300 booths, offering visitors opportunities to explore cuisine, culture and tourism, as well as social, economic and academic fields, a press conference in HCM City heard. — Photo courtesy of the organisers

HCM CITY — The 11th Việt Nam-Japan Festival will feature a record 300 booths, contributing to strengthening Việt Nam–Japan bilateral ties and fostering multilateral cooperation, a press conference in HCM City heard.

The two-day festival, themed Cùng Nắm Chặt Tay Nhau, Trẻ Em – Trái Đất – Tương Lai (Holding Hands Together, Children – Earth – Future), will start on Saturday at 23/9 Park in HCM City.

It is co-organised by the HCM City Department of Foreign Affairs and the Consulate General of Japan in the city.

The event will offer visitors a space to experience Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine, culture and tourism.

Ono Masuo, consul general of Japan in HCM City, said the Việt Nam-Japan- Festival was first held in 2013, marking the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. Since then, it has grown into the largest cultural exchange programme between the two countries.

He noted that the 11th festival will feature various activities to promote further collaboration in cultural, social, economic and academic fields.

Highlights of this year’s event include cultural activities such as a kimono workshop, a ramen festival and Vietnamese-Japanese court music performances.

It will also feature sports activities such as BMX, skateboarding and double dutch, alongside a friendship cycling event.

Furthermore, the event will include two seminars on March 6 focusing on Việt Nam-Japan tourism trends and human resource development.

Phạm Dứt Điểm, director of the HCM City Department of Foreign Affairs, said the festival holds significant meaning. It helps strengthen the relationship between Việt Nam and Japan, especially since the two nations upgraded their ties to a "Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World" in November 2023.

Điểm said that Japan is among the key economic partners of Việt Nam, leading in ODA and labour cooperation, while also being a major investor and trading partner.

He noted that in the 2025-2026 period, the two countries have stepped up the implementation of the first phase of the "Japan-Việt Nam Joint Initiative in the New Era", focusing on strategic fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), green transition and strengthening sustainable supply chains. — VNS