Da Nang hosts Vietnam - Japan cultural exchange festival

In his opening remark, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son highlighted the fruitful development of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties in all spheres over the past 45 years, affirming that the two countries have created mutual trust among their senior leaders, ministries, sectors and peoples.

Deputy Foreign Minister Son stressed that Japan is now the largest provider of official development assistance (ODA), and a top partner of Vietnam in accelerating industrialisation and modernisation.

Japan is also the second largest investment, third largest tourism and fourth largest trade partner of Vietnam at present, he added, noting that Vietnam is an attractive destination for Japanese investors.

Son said the Vietnam - Japan cultural exchange festival 2018 offers a good chance for Vietnamese people to not only get insights into Japanese culture and the people’s lives, but also learn from Japan’s experience in urban development and tourism, thus promoting cooperation between the two sides.

He said he believed that the event would help to strengthen the mutual trust and understanding, contributing to deepening the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership.

Da Nang is home to 150 Japanese -invested projects with a total capital of US$530 million, mostly in electronic and electrical equipment production, and information technology. It is also a favorite destination for visitors from Japan.

For his part, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, Kunio Umeda, affirmed that the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties will be an important milestone for promoting the bilateral relations across all fields.

Within the framework of the event, many exchange activities will be arranged to introduce the cultural identities and arts of both countries to visitors.

The festival will last until July 29.