Tokyo (VNA) – More than 800 overseas Vietnamese (OVs), ranging from children to elderly persons, along with Japanese friends, attended the Homeland Spring 2026 programme jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan and Vietnamese community organisations.
Delivering his opening remarks at the event in Tokyo on February 7, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu reviewed several major events reflecting Vietnam’s strong transformations over the past year. He highlighted that, under the leadership of the Party, Vietnam has carried out comprehensive reforms of its administrative apparatus and local governance system.
The ambassador noted that early in 2026, the successful 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) marked an important milestone, setting out strategic decisions for the country’s future development. Alongside these domestic achievements, Vietnam–Japan relations also recorded robust progress in 2025, the second year since the two countries established the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World.
In addition to advances in trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges, the two sides have identified science, technology and innovation as new pillars of cooperation, he said.
The ambassador expressed his delight at the growing strength of the Vietnamese community in Japan and its active contributions to Vietnam’s development as well as to the bilateral ties. Currently, the Vietnamese community in Japan remains the second-largest of its kind in the world, with around 700,000 people and an average annual increase of 50,000–60,000.
He particularly praised the community’s solidarity and sense of responsibility, noting that in 2025, when Vietnam was hit by several severe natural disasters, OVs in Japan joined hands to provide support, demonstrating their unity, mutual support and enduring attachment to the homeland.
Sharing her feelings with the Vietnam News Agency's correspondent in Tokyo, Dang Tu Quynh, a first-year student at the University of Tokyo, said this was her third Tet (Lunar New Year) in Japan and her second time attending the Homeland Spring programme. For overseas students, she said, activities related to Tet and Vietnamese culture not only bring a warm and festive atmosphere while far from home but also become cherished memories during their years of study and life in Japan.
On this occasion, the ambassador presented commendations to representatives of associations and organisations with outstanding achievements in the community work in 2025. He also acknowledged the valuable contributions of Vietnamese individuals and organisations in Japan to the successful organisation of the Homeland Spring 2026 programme.
Within the framework of the event, participants enjoyed various cultural performances by amateur artists, received calligraphy at the beginning of the Lunar New Year from Venerable Thich Tam Tri, President of the Vietnamese Buddhist Association in Japan, and savoured traditional dishes imbued with the flavours of the homeland during Tet./.
