At a press conference, Le Truong Duy, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs, said following the success of the previous nine editions, this year’s festival marks the 10th anniversary of its organisation in the city. As an annual cultural and diplomatic event showcasing the distinctive identities of both Vietnam and Japan, the festival reinforces the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two nations. It serves as a platform to enhance cultural exchanges; promote trade, investment, and tourism; and strengthen mutual understanding and friendship.
This year’s festival will feature programmes related to cultural exchange, trade promotion, cuisine, and tourism from both nations. The event will take place over two days at Zone B, September 23 Park, Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1, with approximately 155 exhibition units.
Key highlights of the festival include a meeting for Vietnamese and Japanese students, friendship cycling, the Japan-Vietnam Kodomo Feature Tomodachi show, and Japanese sports experiences including Sumo and T-Ball interactions.
Notably, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, Japan will be holding the Ho Chi Minh City Festival for the first time in Tokyo. Scheduled for November 1-2, the event will take place at the Tokyo International Forum Conference Centre. This milestone marks a new phase of development for the festival as it expands to be celebrated in both Vietnam and Japan.
The festival will feature a series of events, including cultural exchanges, traditional art performances, and martial arts showcases. Visitors can enjoy Vietnamese cai luong (reformed opera) and don ca tai tu (traditional musical art form of the south), aikido and kendo demonstrations, as well as an Ao Dai fashion show. A special LED mapping light show will also be presented, depicting iconic images of Ho Chi Minh City and Japan.
Additionally, the festival will host exhibition spaces highlighting trade, cuisine, culture, and history between Ho Chi Minh City and Japan. Other key activities include a Vietnam-Japan tea culture exchange programme and a business and investment promotion conference.
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Ono Masuo, Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, shared insights about the event at the press conference. |
At the press conference, Ono Masuo, Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, emphasised the special significance of the Friendship Cycling Journey at the 2025 Vietnam-Japan Festival. The event aims to promote environmental awareness, encourage a healthy lifestyle, and advocate for the use of public bicycles and the Metro system in daily life.
The representative from the Japanese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City also shared that various sports exchange activities will be widely featured at this year’s festival. These activities will provide Vietnamese participants with the opportunity to experience Japan’s traditional sports, including an interactive showcase with professional sumo wrestlers from the Japan Sumo Federation and a T-Ball exchange tournament for students from both countries.
