Cultural exchanges connect Vietnam, Japan: NA chief

Hanoi (VNA) – After four editions, the annual Vietnam-Japan festival has left good impression on Vietnamese people and boosted their understanding about Japan, said National Assembly (NA) Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Ngan made the remark when receiving Tsutomu Takebe, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, in Hanoi on January 29.

She praised the advisor’s contributions to bilateral ties via initiating cultural exchange activities, which have been successfully organised in recent years.

Ngan said the Vietnam-Japan festival taking place in January this year served as a meaningful curtain-raiser for a host of events in celebration of 45-year relations between the two countries.

The Vietnam NA highly values joint projects coordinated by Takebe, such as the Vietnam – Japan University, Vietnam-Japan festival, and other trade connection and human resources training programmes, stated the top legislator.

For his part, Takebe lauded the Vietnam U23 football team’s efforts to secure the second place at the recent Asian Football Confederation U23 Championship despite unfavorable weather.

He also congratulated Vietnam on successful hosting two major regional events – the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week 2017 and the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum.

Highlighting the friendship and cooperation between the two countries’ people as a basis of Vietnam – Japan relations, the advisor said 250,000 Vietnamese students in Japan are key to the future development of the ties.

Agreeing with her guest, Ngan said in addition to State and parliamentary diplomacy, people-to-people exchange is also necessary, adding that the NA supports activities held by the Vietnam – Japan Friendship Parliamentarians' Group and the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance. She said she believes with determination of both sides, these cultural exchange programmes will help bilateral ties move toward effectiveness.

On the occasion, Takebe gifted his host a book titled “Kyojinka - national capacity enhancement in response to disasters in Japan, Asia and the world”.-VNA