The festival opened on September 12 in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, bringing together members of the Vietnamese community and Japanese visitors to experience and explore Vietnamese culture.
The opening ceremony was attended by Trịnh Thị Thủy, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Phạm Quang Hiệu; Yuji Kuroiwa, Governor of Kanagawa Prefecture; and representatives of agencies and localities from both countries.
Nguyễn Thị Kim Chung, Deputy Director of the Gia Lai Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, represented the province at the event.
Held on September 12 and 13 at Nihon Odori, the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Building and Zou no Hana Park, the annual festival has been jointly organized by Kanagawa Prefecture and the Embassy of Vietnam in Japan since 2015.
The event aims to promote mutual understanding between Vietnam and Kanagawa while strengthening friendship and cooperation between the two countries.
At the festival, Gia Lai has established a dedicated space to showcase its culture, tourism resources and local products, while promoting the image of the National Tourism Year – Gia Lai 2026 under the theme “Gia Lai – Mountains embrace the blue sea”.
The province's tourism promotion booth is located on Nihon Odori Avenue, in front of the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Building and Zou-no-hana Park.
Visitors can learn about destinations and tourism resources in Gia Lai, sample local coffee, experience OCOP products and specialties, and receive tourism promotional materials.
Through exhibitions and presentations, Gia Lai is positioning itself as a destination that brings together coastal and highland landscapes with distinctive cultural values.
The province is also presenting tourism products, investment promotion materials, OCOP products and handicrafts to visitors, businesses and Japanese partners.
The Gia Lai delegation, working with the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, also took part in a seminar promoting Vietnamese tourism.
The seminar highlighted Gia Lai's tourism potential, development orientation and key products while providing an opportunity for the province to exchange and connect with partners in an effort to expand the Japanese tourist market.
The delegation also attended a performance of the musical “Princess Anio” at the KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre as part of its activities in Kanagawa.
The performance provided another opportunity to promote cultural and artistic exchanges and strengthen friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.
After 10 editions, the Vietnam Festival in Kanagawa has become one of the largest Vietnam-related events in Japan.
According to the organizers, the festival has welcomed approximately 2.4 million visitors who have experienced Vietnamese culture, demonstrating its scale and strong influence.
This year’s festival continues to be one of the most anticipated events in Kanagawa and neighboring prefectures.