Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Council, Vo Van Minh, said that after more than a decade of establishment and development, the Vietnam–Japan Festival has become a significant international cultural exchange event and a vivid symbol of the friendship and close bond between the peoples of Vietnam and Japan.
He expressed confidence that the diverse activities featured at the festival would create a vibrant and emotionally engaging cultural space where people from both countries—especially the younger generation—can meet, share experiences, enhance mutual understanding, and work together toward a sustainable future. Through such exchanges, the friendship between the peoples of Vietnam and Japan will continue to grow stronger and more profound.
Mr. Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor to the Japan–Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance and Honorary Head of the Organizing Committee of the Vietnam–Japan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City 2026, noted that as Vietnam enters a new and promising stage of development, the 11th Vietnam–Japan Festival carries particularly profound significance. It marks a new milestone in the continued consolidation and further strengthening of the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries.
Meanwhile, Permanent Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu emphasized that after more than a decade of development, the Vietnam–Japan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City has evolved beyond a mere cultural exchange event. It has become a platform for connecting shared values, nurturing the close friendship between the two peoples, and creating a solid foundation for the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
This year’s festival carries even greater significance as it serves as the opening event for a series of exchange and cooperation activities between the two countries in 2026—the first year following the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the successful Japanese House of Representatives election, after which both nations have new leadership.
Permanent Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu hoped that the Vietnam–Japan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City would continue to serve as a bridge of friendship, strengthening the sincere bonds and mutual trust between the peoples of the two countries. The festival is also expected to promote multifaceted exchanges and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, thereby making practical contributions to further deepening the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The festival’s main activities take place over two days, on March 7–8, at various venues across Ho Chi Minh City. They include a series of events featuring trade, culinary, and tourism exchanges; promotion of Vietnamese and Japanese products; seminars on tourism promotion and Japan–Vietnam educational cooperation; as well as cultural and sports exchanges and youth interactions between Ho Chi Minh City and Japan.
Within the framework of the Vietnam–Japan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, a wide range of activities are also being held, including a friendship cycling program, the COS-MIC ASIA in JVF event, an Ao Dai (Vietnamese traditional dress) design competition, a Kimono design workshop, the first YOSAKOI Festival, and performances and exchanges featuring Vietnamese and Japanese court music.
Notably, the program promoting trade, cuisine, culture, and tourism between Vietnam and Japan is the largest ever organized within the festival framework, featuring more than 300 booths from enterprises of both countries. The cultural and artistic exchange program also brings together artists from Vietnam and Japan, including singers Dong Nhi, B Ray, CAPTAIN BOY, and the guest music group Psychic Fever from Exile Tribe from Japan.
