Deputy Chief of the Vietnamese mission in Japan Nguyen Truong Son said the event was not only a channel for the two peoples to enhance mutual understanding, but also a bridge to connect Vietnamese people living in Japan.

As such, the festival will not only take place in Tokyo and Osaka, but will be held across Japan in the future as part of Japan-Vietnam cultural exchange activities.

Son highly appreciated the efforts of the organising board, as well as individuals and agencies of both countries to making the event a success in the previous years, and expected that the 2016 festival would continue to bring Vietnam and Japan closer.

For his part, Secretary General of the Organising Board Yoichiro also highlighted the significance of the festival in strengthening relations between the two countries.

According to the organisers, the Vietnam Festival 2016 will feature 110 booths of food, goods and handicrafts as well as cultural, musical and artistic performances imbued with Vietnamese characteristics.

They expect to draw around 180,000 visitors to the festival, similar to the number in 2015.

The Vietnam Festival was first held in 2008 as part of activities to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations.