Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu speaks at the press conference. (Photo: VNA) Tokyo (VNA) – The Vietnam Festival “Hello Saitama” will take place in the Japanese prefecture of Saitama from September1-3, re-enacting the atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival and bring it to the Japanese peopleand the Vietnamese community living there.
The festival willbe sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs as it is one of the activities to celebratethe 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties this year,heard a press conference held at the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan on August 2.
Thefestival, the first of its kind held in Saitama, will showcase star lanterns,lion dance performances, and the flavors of mooncakes. More than 60 booths willbe set up to introduce the unique Vietnamese cuisine, including popular dishesthat have become an integral part of Japanese culinary culture, such as pho,banh mi (baguette), noodle, spring roll, banh xeo (crispy rice pancake) andcoffee.
Therewill be games such as shuttlecock kicking and traditional ethnic artperformances, including the first-time appearance of "chau van" singing at the event.
At the press conference (Photo: VNA) Chairmanof the Vietnamese Association in Saitama prefecture Pham Dinh Thuong said thesuccess of the festival will pave the way for it to become an annual event for theVietnamese community in Saitama in the coming years.
Theevent is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of Japanese and Vietnamesepeople in Japan.
Saitamais home to one of the biggest Vietnamese communities in Japan with over 40,000people./.
