Activities held at the festival include performances by famous Japanese artists, a Vietnam-Japan Economic Exchange Forum and Investment Seminar, Japanese nimation, traditional Japanese tea and incense ceremonies and a Japan-Vietnam karate match.

The festival is the first and largest cultural exchange event ever to take place in Vietnam, marking the year of 2006 as Vietnam-Japan Cultural Exchange Year.

In an interview granted to a VOVNews reporter, Assistant to Japanese Minister of Culture Yoichiro Aoyagi said, “the Japan Festival 2006 is aimed at promoting and introducing a diverse array of Japan’s cultural characteritsics, art, music and sports to Vietnamese people. I hope that Vietnamese people will come to enjoy these activities”.

“Vietnam has great potential for economic development. In addition, Vietnamsese culture is also developing well. Japanese people are now very interested in Vietnam’s culinarty arts, handicrafts, and household goods”, Mr Aoyagi added.