Spring festival in Japan’s Fukuoka highlights Vietnam’s cultural identity

An array of traditional cultural activities during the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday will be featured at the fifth Homeland Spring to be held at Tenjinchuo Park, Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture on January 20-21, Vietnamese Consul General in Fukuoka Vu Chi Mai has said. At a press conference on November 13, Mai said the annual event has drawn the attention of Vietnamese expats and local residents in Kuyshu-Okinawa, while serving as a vivid illustration of the Party and State’s care for the Vietnamese community in foreign countries, including those in Japan. Human chess, nem con (throwing a sacred ball through a ring) and nhay sap (dance between bamboo poles) will be organised, she said, adding that an art programme will be arranged with stellar performances by Vietnamese artists, models and actors as well as representatives from the Vietnamese community here. Highlights of the festival will be the record 1,500 people in ao dai (long dress) forming a map of S-shaped Vietnam, and Fukuoka 2024 Ao Dai Week with 180
items created by six renowned Vietnamese designers, she stressed. There will be 70 booths introducing Vietnamese and Japanese dishes, high-quality products and handicrafts from both countries, she added. Chairman of the Association of the Vietnamese in Fukuoka Nguyen Duy Anh told the Vietnam News Agency that the festival is expected to support the Vietnamese community in Japan, promoting national culture, and popularising the image of Vietnam among Japanese, thus helping enhance the friendship between the two countries’ people. Last year, the “Spring Homeland 2023” programme was extremely successful, not only attracting the attention of the Vietnamese community, but also from the local Japanese community. There are more than 20,000 Vietnamese learning and working in Fukuoka./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency