Vietnamese and Japanese school students at an exchange event in Đà Nẵng. Japan's Mitsuke City and Đà Nẵng are holding an annual homestay programme for students from both cities. — VNS Photo Công Thành

ĐÀ NẴNG — Đà Nẵng, in cooperation with Mitsuke City in Japan's Niigata prefecture, will continue its annual homestay exchange programme for Vietnamese and Japanese students by sending nine Japanese students from Mitsuke City to Đà Nẵng on a nine-day visit to live with Vietnamese families.

The programme, which began in 2005 as a friendship visit and educational cultural exchange event, will bring 110 junior high school students from Mitsuke to Đà Nẵng, while taking 60 Vietnamese students and teachers from Đà Nẵng to Japan, the Japanese General Consulate Office in Đà Nẵng reported.

Vice Mayor of Mitsuke City Yoshiwara Masayuki said the programme has been held for 13 consecutive years.

Students, teachers and families from Đà Nẵng and Misuke City, Japan pose for a photo at Đà Nẵng's Administrative Centre. A group of 11 Japanese students from Mitsuke will be participating in a nine-day homestay programme in Đà Nẵng. VNS Photo Công Thành

The programme has helped students from both countries explore the difference in culture, lifestyle and society between Việt Nam and Japan, he said.

He commented: “The people-to-people exchange programme has contributed to the development of the two countries and closer friendship ties for people from both sides. This year, 11 Japanese students, including eight junior high school students, from Mitsuke City will be spending a nine-day homestay trip with Vietnamese families in Đà Nẵng.”

Head of the Japanese General Consulate Office Mori Takero said that he has seen the progress of the longstanding cooperation programme between the two cities, and heard the shared experiences of Vietnamese and Japanese students after their homestay visits in both cities.

He said five out of eight Vietnamese students who participated in the programme in Mitsuke City last year have been recruited for a Japanese language study class at a gifted high school in Đà Nẵng.

Vice Director of Đà Nẵng’s foreign affairs department Lê Minh Tường said the homestay programme has offered opportunities for different generations of students, teachers and families in both cities, enhancing their culture and lifestyle experiences.

It will be key to help build better friendship ties between the two countries and cities, bringing the relationship between people from the two sides closer than ever, he added.

The annual Japan-Việt Nam Cultural Festival in Đà Nẵng. Many Japanese and Vietnamese artists, performance troupes and visitors are eager for the event every year. Photo courtesy of Lê Lâm

Đà Nẵng's Liên Chiểu Ward plans to resume Japanese classes in the 2026–2027 academic year as the first foreign language lessons at schools after an interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Japanese Embassy in Việt Nam has also provided funding to build classrooms in Đà Nẵng's Phú Túc Commune and a kindergarten in Hòa Phú Commune, through the Japanese government’s 2023 Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Project.

Annual scholarships for students in Đà Nẵng have supported education in the area for more than 20 years, funded by Japanese partners including the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Japan Business Federation.

Đà Nẵng University has also built partnerships with universities in Japan, including Yokohama National University, Kyoto University, the University of Kitakyushu, KOSEN National Institute of Technology, Nagaoka University of Technology and Chuo University, along with firms such as JFE Holdings Inc, Japan Energy Services Corporation and Fulltime System company.

A volunteer helps children with a craft at a cultural event during the annual Việt Nam-Japan Cultural Festival in Hội An ancient town. VNS Photo Công Thành

Nine cities, including Fukuoka, Yokohama, Maebashi, Chiba, Shizuoka, Tokyo, Tottori and Nagasaki, and 82 Japanese businesses have signed cooperation deals with Đà Nẵng’s Đông Á University to train workers from central Việt Nam.

Memorandums of Understanding on investment cooperation have also been signed by Đà Nẵng and Japanese partners from Yokohama, Kawasaki, Nagasaki, Kisarazu, Kinokawa and Sakai.

Mitsuke City is one of 20 cities in Japan, including Kagoshima, Okayama, Kobe, Baidu, Fukuoka and Otara that have built relationships with Đà Nẵng.

The city was a stop for the Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko as part of their official trip to Việt Nam in 2023.

Events held as part of the annual Japan-Việt Nam Festival and Cultural Exchange take place in Đà Nẵng, Hội An and Huế. — VNS