Japan Vietnam Festival back in Ho Chi Minh City on largest-ever scale

The event, which is set to feature 300 booths run by businesses from the two countries, will be the largest edition since it was first launched in 2013.

“Building on its tradition, this year’s Japan Vietnam Festival will host the largest-ever Vietnam – Japan trade, cuisine, culture, and tourism promotion and exchange program,” said Pham Dut Diem, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs, at a press conference announcing the event on Friday.

Besides the tourism, cultural, and cuisine booths, the festival also promises youthful and vibrant performances by artists from both countries, serving as a bridge connecting local residents and tourists.

Highlights of this year’s program include a range of cultural exchange and community engagement activities, such as an Ao Dai design contest for Japanese students that has already been launched in Japan, a kimono design workshop, Vietnam–Japan court music performances and exchanges, a ramen festival featuring well-known ramen brands in Ho Chi Minh City, among others.

Sports activities, including skateboarding, indoor BMX cycling exchanges, and a friendship cycling event, will also add vibrancy to the event.

Besides, seminars on Vietnam – Japan tourism trends and human resource development will also be held as part of the festival.

“With the determination, solidarity, and joint efforts of both sides, we are confident that the 11th Japan Vietnam Festival in Ho Chi Minh City will continue to achieve tangible results, helping strengthen ties between the peoples of the two countries and laying a solid foundation for deeper and more substantive bilateral cooperation,” Diem stated.

“Over its 10 previous editions, the Japan Vietnam Festival, with its diverse and practical activities, has affirmed its important role in enhancing cultural exchanges, promoting trade, investment, and tourism, and strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between the two countries,” he added.

The director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Foreign Affairs said he expects this year’s festival to attract between 450,000 and 500,000 visitors, after drawing 485,000 attendees in 2023, 428,000 in 2024, and 430,000 in 2025.

“Since it was first held in 2013, marking the 40th anniversary of Japan-Vietnam diplomatic relations, the Japan Vietnam Festival has gradually grown into the largest Japan – Vietnam exchange program in Vietnam, with the joint participation of the governments and people of both countries,” said Masuo Ono, Japanese consul general in Ho Chi Minh City.

According to him, the 11th fest, targeting a wide range of age groups, will feature a more diverse line-up of activities aimed at further promoting exchanges across multiple fields, including culture, society, economy, and academia.

The 11th Japan Vietnam Festival in Ho Chi Minh City will take place on March 7 and 8 at Zone B of September 23 Park in Ben Thanh Ward.