The event was attended by Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Chairman of Hanoi municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung, as well as Special Advisor to the Japanese Cabinet Isao Iijima and Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Kunio Umeda.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Hanoi leader Chung emphasised that the capital city has hosted numerous activities to promote the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan as well as many cooperation programmes in the fields of economy, culture and tourism.
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Chairman of Hanoi municipal People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung speaking at the festival (Photo: hanoimoi.com.vn)
The four-day festival includes a series of cultural and art exchange activities, introducing the unique cultural characteristics of Japan.
The highlight of the event will be a display of 50 trees and 10,000 branches of cherry blossoms, along with several kinds of flowers and bonsai trees from Vietnam.
Over 1,000 actors and actresses from Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong will give performances of yosaki - a traditional dance of the Japanese people.
In addition, visitors at the festival will have a chance to learn more about the tea culture of Japan, enjoy traditional art forms and the cuisine of the two countries.
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An art performance at the festival (Photo: laodongthudo.vn)
On the occasion, Japanese Embassy in Vietnam presented 172 cherry blossom trees to Hanoi. They were planted at Hoa Binh (Peace) Park.
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Delegates plant cherry blossom trees at Hoa Binh Park.
