Online exchange connects Vietnamese, Japanese youngsters

“Vietnam Festa★Online - Kanagawa is a friend of Vietnam,” an online exchange among Vietnamese and Japanese youngsters took place in Tokyo on March 12, the first of a series of events leading up to the Vietnamese Festival in Kanagawa.

Addressing the programme, Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa said that the event aims to reaffirm the close relationship between the Japanese prefecture with Vietnam. After two years of suspension due to COVID-19, Kanagawa is determined to organise the Vietnamese Festival this autumn, he said.

For his part, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam hailed the idea of organising the Vietnam Festa★Online, which contributes to strengthening connections and mutual understanding among youngsters of both countries, thus helping promote ties between Vietnam and Japan. He said he hopes the youth of Vietnam and Japan will stay united to maintain peace in the world.

The programme, which was broadcast live on YouTube, consisted of a conference on the Kanagawa-Vietnam friendship, a contest to make “Banh xeo” (crispy Vietnamese pancake), and an art performance.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency following the programme, Kuroiwa said that he was strongly impressed by the first Vietnam-Kanagawa Festival seven years ago, with over 400,000 participants.

The organisation of the Vietnam Festa★Online affirmed that exchange activities between the two sides continue despite the pandemic, he said, expressing hope that such activities will be further expanded.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Nam said that the programme, a joint effort of TVK company, Kanagawa authorities and the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, showed that the linkage between Vietnamese and Japanese youngsters is developing despite COVID-19.