Vietnam Festival in Tokyo showcases new, old culture

The annual festival, which marked its 17th edition this year, is the only overseas event on Vietnamese culture recognized by the country's government.

Despite heavy rain on the first day, many people turned out to enjoy authentic cuisine, music and merchandise from Vietnam.

Reaching young expats with V-Pop

Among the highlights of the festival were performances by Vietnamese music stars.

Visitors enjoyed an experience of Vietnamese pop music, also known as V-pop, from singers Min and Erik, who were the headline acts on the main stage of the festival on both days.

Min and Erik are both major figures on the Vietnamese music scene, each racking up more than 100 million views for many of their music videos on YouTube.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, they partnered to release a hit health awareness song, Ghen Co Vy, which was featured in a viral social media dance challenge picked up internationally, including by UNICEF.

V-pop was a common presence in other parts of the festival as well, being blasted from speakers at many food and corporate stalls.

At one booth letting visitors try on traditional attire, staff and visitors sang along to Vietnamese songs.

"As well as introducing Vietnamese culture to Japanese people, this festival serves as a place for Vietnamese people in Japan to gather, like a reunion event," Ayaka Sugiyama, a public relations official of the event, said.

"We invited relatively new artists so that Vietnamese in Japan, many of whom are young, can have fun."

"I hope Japanese visitors who may not know (the latest Vietnamese music) will discover and like the music, and above all, see how Vietnamese people are enthusiastic about it," she added.

Traditional arts, crafts

Meanwhile, visitors were treated to a rare performance of traditional Vietnamese culture in 'mua roi nuoc' water puppet theater.

Puppeteers from the Hanoi-based Thang Long Water Puppet Theater, the premier puppeteer group in Vietnam, held their first-ever show in Japan at this year's festival.

In shows of mua roi nuoc, an art form that originated some 1,000 years ago in Vietnam's northern region, wooden puppets in the shape of fishing and farming people, water animals and mystical creatures appeared to be dancing on the surface of water in a pool stage, accompanied by traditional orchestral music.

"It was a mystery to me how the puppets were being moved" from below the water surface, a 48-year-old Japanese woman who has never been to Vietnam said after watching a show.

The show did not use speech, enabling audiences to enjoy it without language barriers.

"I was able to follow along, and it was humorous," the woman said.

Many booths were decorated with traditional Vietnamese crafts.

The tent set up by Vietnam Airlines, the main sponsor of the festival, featured colorful rows of incense stick bouquets.

The vibrant display recreated the scenery of Quang Phu Cau, a commune in northern Vietnam known as the 'incense village' for its photogenic incense bundles set out to dry in the open air.

Taste of home

Vietnamese cuisine was a major draw for both Japanese visitors exploring new flavors and Vietnamese residents seeking a taste of home.

Visitors flocked to the over 40 food stalls and trucks that sold a variety of mainstays such as banh mi and pho.

"I came here last year too, and I think it's the best part of the festival," a 10-year-old boy visiting with his mother from Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, said of the food stalls.

The boy's mother said that he became interested in Vietnamese food after seeing dishes such as cha gio fried egg rolls and che sweets on a television show.

The festival's wide range of attractions offered enjoyment to an array of people, from those who are unacquainted with Vietnamese culture to those well-versed in Vietnam's latest trends.

"In order to spread Vietnamese culture in Japan, it's not enough to have exhibits," Sugiyama said.

"It's important to have people, especially Vietnamese people, come and feel welcome, so we arranged for singers and food stalls to create that atmosphere."

A sister event, the Vietnam Culture & Food Festival 2025 in Osaka, will be held in the western Japan city over two days from June 14.