The two-day event featured around 300 booths and a wide range of activities including artistic and cultural performances, trade and tourism promotion, sports events, and people-to-people exchange.

The festival aims to create a vibrant cultural space where people from both countries, especially young people, can share and spread the spirit of the “Cherry Blossom – Lotus Alliance.”

In his opening speech, Vo Van Minh, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council, highlighted that after more than a decade of development, the Vietnam–Japan Festival has become a vivid symbol of friendship and strong ties between the peoples of the two countries. From an initial cultural exchange event, the festival has grown into a multidimensional platform connecting fields such as culture, arts, trade, tourism, sports, and people-to-people exchange.

This year’s event holds special significance as the festival enters its second decade, opening new prospects for deeper cooperation between the two countries. It is also the first festival held following Ho Chi Minh City’s administrative reorganisation, part of the city’s vision to grow into a dynamic megacity with strong economic potential and expanded international partnerships.

Hashimoto Seiko, a member of Japan’s House of Councillors and head of the festival’s organizing committee on the Japanese side, said this year’s festival is the largest ever held, with an expected 500,000 visitors attending the event.

In addition to traditional cultural activities, the organisers have introduced a number of modern urban sports popular among Japanese youth, such as skateboarding, breaking, cycling, double-dutch jump rope, and baseball experiences.

Ho Chi Minh City to host 11th Vietnam–Japan festival in March

VOV.VN - Ho Chi Minh City will organise the 11th Vietnam–Japan Festival in early March at 23/9 Park, featuring a wide range of cultural, trade, tourism, and people-to-people exchange activities between the two countries.