ĐÀ NẴNG — In a sign of growing ties between Đà Nẵng and Japan, this school year, a Japanese-led kindergarten will open its doors to children ages 1 to 6 in the central city.

The kindergarten, COHAS Đà Nẵng, or Smile School, was built by the Japanese JP Holdings Group with an investment of US$300,000. It will enroll 200 children and provide education programmes in English, physical training and music and Japanese culture.

President of JP Holdings Group, Ogita Kazuhiro, said it’s also the group’s first kindergarten project in Southeast Asia and Việt Nam.

He said the project would contribute to the socio-economic development in Đà Nẵng and Việt Nam by releasing a high quality education at kindergarten level.

The project will be unrolled in three phases between 2017-19, and provide education facilities for 600 kids with an international education standard.

JP Holdings focuses on investment in high quality education. It has developed 220 education projects so far.

The Japanese language has been taught at some junior secondary schools according to the city’s foreign language teaching programme for 2012-20.

Last year, Leave a Nest, an education organisation from Japan, in collaboration with the Self Wing Việt Nam Company, began a pilot project on nature research education for students at junior secondary schools in Đà Nẵng.

The city is home to 160 Japanese investors and 37 representatives with a total investment of $500 million.

Route Inn Group from Japan is also developing a coastal resort, the first of its kind in Việt Nam, with total investment of $18 million.

The city has already launched a direct air route connecting Đà Nẵng to Narita, Japan in 2014 with seven flights a week, and a direct Đà Nẵng-Osaka route with four flights a week.

In a recent meeting with the city’s leadership, newly appointed Japanese Ambassador to Việt Nam, Umeda Kunio, said Japan plans to open a Consulate Office in Đà Nẵng City as a way of boosting tourism and exchange between Japan and the central city in the future. — VNS