Many national and grassroots-level activities to celebrate 50th anniversary of Vietnam and Japan diplomatic relations

Delegates take souvenir photos at the reception and planting of cherry blossom trees in Bac Ninh province.

From the beginning of the year until now, many national and grassroots-level activities have taken place in Vietnam. Typical examples include the 8th Vietnam-Japan Festival (Vietnam-Japan Festival) in Ho Chi Minh City, co-organized by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee  and the Organizing Committee of the Vietnam-Japan Festival, taking place from December 23 to February 26, 2023, at 23-9 Park themed "Hold hands together, look towards the future, reach out to the world," with 12 main activities related to the fields of culture, economics, trade, tourism, etc. Specifically, the trade, culinary, and tourism exchange program; promotion of Vietnamese-Japanese products; the Japan Trade and Tourism Promotion Workshop; performance of Vietnamese and Japanese folk dance arts; performance of Vietnamese “ao dai” and Japanese kimono; martial arts performances; flower arrangement art; bon-odori dance; cosplay costume performances and so on.

On March 30, the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association of Thua Thien Hue province and relevant units jointly held many cultural exchange activities and Ikebana (is the Japanese art of flower arrangement) in Hue city.

From May 5 to 8, 2023, the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, and the Central Vietnam–Japan Friendship Association jointly held many commemorative activities in Thanh Hoa province, typically: the opening of booths displaying typical products and strengths of Thanh Hoa province and Japanese organizations and enterprises; meetings and contacts between government and government (G2G), government to business (G2B), and business to business (B2B;  Thanh Hoa-Japan connection conference in 2023…

On the evening of September 21, the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam and Japan diplomatic relations (September 21, 1973 - 2023) was solemnly held in Hanoi by the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO), the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association (VJFA) and the Foreign Ministry at the International Convention Center.

Participants at the ceremony were Politburo member, permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee’s Secretariat, Chairwoman of the CPV Central Committee’s Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai; Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Head of the Steering Committee for organizing activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of  Vietnam and Japan  diplomatic relations; Chairman of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association To Huy Rua; leaders and representatives from ministries, sectors and localities that have close cooperative relations with Japan.

The ceremony had the presence of Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess's; a delegation from the Japanese Imperial Family; Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio; leaders of Japanese cooperation organizations in Vietnam; leaders of many large enterprises, individuals, and Japanese organizations having significant contributions to promoting economic cooperation, cultural, artistic, and educational exchanges between the two countries. They enjoyed art performances and visited a photo exhibition about Vietnam - Japan relations over the past half century.

In Bac Ninh province, in recent years, Japan has been one of the partners that the province attaches great importance to promoting in many fields of economy, culture, and local cooperation. Towards the 50th anniversary of Vietnam and Japan diplomatic relations, Bac Ninh province issued Plan No. 181/KH-UBND on June 13, 2023, on organizing activities to mark the 50th anniversary of establishment of Vietnam and Japan diplomatic relations based on the approved project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

The commemorative activities aim to strengthening the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan, the friendly cooperative relationship, and mutual understanding between Bac Ninh province and Japanese partners; improving opportunities for investment and trade cooperation; advertising the image of Bac Ninh’s land, culture, and people to Japanese partners and people as well as introducing the land and culture of Japan to strata of people in the province.

The program marking the 50th anniversary of Vietnam and Japan diplomatic relations includes a series of diversified activities in the fields. Specifically, Japan Week in Bac Ninh with events: Conference "Meeting Bac Ninh - Japan"; Performance of Japanese Kimono and Vietnamese traditional costumes; Photo exhibition of Vietnam-Japan relations; Bac Ninh-Japan partners; the display of Bac Ninh and Japanese products; organization of the reception and planting of cherry blossom trees; establishment of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association in Bac Ninh province; organization of "Mayors for Peace"; participation in the festival "Kanagawa in Hanoi"…

Among which, the ceremony of receiving and planting cherry blossom trees was held in March 2023 with the participation of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, leaders of the People's Committee of Bac Ninh Province,  the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Association of Chyukyo Region, and representatives from relevant departments, branches, and sectors.