Various Japanese bands and artists will perform in the Cherry Blossom Festival this weekend to celebrate the mutual understanding and friendship between the two countries.

The festival will kick off on Saturday evening at Ly Thai To Park, near Sword Lake, the downtown of Hanoi.

During the festival, visitors can join a wide range of cultural activities such as exhibitions of Vietnam and Japan’s heritage and flowers, ikebana (art of flower arrangement) presentations and opportunities to try on Japanese kiminos.

Traditional music of Vietnam will be performed, including xẩm (blind wanderers’ music), ca trù (ceremonial singing) and instrumental music.

On the occasion, 200 cherry trees from Japan will be offered and planted as a gift to Hà  Nội. Some of them will be displayed at the Ly Thai To Park during the two-day festival.

Visitors will have a chance to enjoy the hues and shades of blooming cherry blossoms, said Truong Minh Tien, vice director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports.

He added that growers and horticulturalists will be dispatched by the Japanese government to take care of the planting as well as ensuring that the flowers will continue to bloom each year.

Japanese experts said the cherry trees from northeastern Japan are suitable with the weather conditions and soil in Hanoi. They will be planted at Hoa Binh Park on Hoang Quoc Viet Street in Bac Tu Liem District.

This year marks the tenth cherry blossom festival held in Hanoi. It is considered the most outstanding event of the year to introduce Japanese culture to local residents and visitors.

A seminar to boost tourism investment will be held on Sunday in Hanoi with the participation of many enterprises from both countries.

Famous anime films (Japanese cartoons) will be presented for free at Kim Dong Cultural Centre, 19 Hang Bai Street, Hanoi, with two films screened per day.

The cherry blossom festival also took place yesterday in Ha Long City in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

The golden apricot flowers on Yen Tu Mountain are on display for the first time at the cherry blossom festival, which will run until Monday.

This is the fourth annual festival organised by the People’s Committee of Quang Ninh Province and the Wanokai International Culture Association (WICA) from Japan.

Festival activities include the opening ceremony, performance and art programmes by Vietnamese and Japanese artists, cultural activities and an exhibition of cherry blossoms and apricot flowers.

The golden apricot is a valuable, rare flower on Yen Tu Mountain. This year, the flowers have bloomed beautifully and 80 trees are on display, along with 60 cherry blossom trees from Japan, in some northern mountainous provinces of Vietnam.

There are also stalls introducing tourism, culture and foods from Vietnam and Japan.

VNS