The contest, to be held in Hanoi as an initiative by the Goodwill Ambassador following his visit to Vietnam in October 2005, aims to promote local secondary students' independent creativeness in the process of making films.

Mr Sugi Ryotaro expressed hope that the contest in Hanoi will be a success and that a similar event will be held at national scale and even at the Asian level.

The competition, part of cultural cooperation and exchange between Vietnam and Japan, will help to further foster bilateral ties between the two countries in general and their cultural cooperation in particular, said Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Hattori Norio.