Japan has decided to present the Order of the Rising Sun to Nghiem Vu Khai, President of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association, acknowledging his sizable contribution to the two countries’ growing partnership.

The decision was unveiled by the Japanese Embassy in Hanoi on April 29.

Khai used to be a member of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentarian Alliance and the first President of the Association of Vietnamese Alumina in Japan.

Taking on the post at the friendship association in 2008, he has worked tirelessly to organise cultural exchanges between the two countries.

He has played a crucial role in the establishment of the association’s 18 provincial and municipal chapters and the introduction of Japanese literature and culture to Vietnam.-VNA