Historic town to host Hoi An-Japan Culture Festival
Hoi An will re-enact a 17th century wedding parade held for Princess Ngoc Hoa and Japanese businessman Araki Sotaro in the old quarter as part of 14th Hoi An-Japan Culture Festival from August 18-20.
Hoi An (VNA) - The historic city of Hoi An will re-enact a 17thcentury wedding parade held for Princess Ngoc Hoa and Japanese businessmanAraki Sotaro in the old quarter as part of the 14th annual Hoi An-Japan CultureFestival from August 18-20.
The city’s Culture and Sports Centre said the parade marks therelationship between the Japanese community and Hoi An city 400 years ago whenJapanese traders docked at the busy trading port.
The homes built by many of these traders have been preserved.
Local residents preserve the tombs of Japanese traders who died inHoi An in the 17th century. The oldest was Tani Yajirobei’s, who was believedto have died in 1647, and his records include the oldest and clearestinformation related to his life, including a love affair with a local woman.
The love story reflected the close relationship between Japanesetraders and Hoi An residents during a wealthy period of the town’s history inthe early 17th century.
Japanese singers Min, Ueno Yuuka, One Asia Join Concert band, andthe Hanoi Sennen Yosakoi Dance team will perform at the festival along withlocal folk art troupes.
Vietnamese and Japanese participants will demonstrate cosplays andmartial arts performances of karate, judo, Vietnamese traditional Vovinam,while craftsmen will offer visitors traditional Yukata try-ons, origami (paperfolding) and local lantern making.
Artist Nguyen Quoc Dung will display his photo collection at the city’sSculpture Park on the Hoai River bank, while French photographer Rehahn willdisplay his photos from his trans-Vietnam field trips.
The city will also exhibit photos of the co-operation between HoiAn and Japan in the last two decades.-VNA
The 11th Hoi An-Japan Cultural Festival kicked off in the ancient town of Hoi An in Quang Nam central province on August 23 with numerous cultural and sports activities.
The ancient city will host the annual Hoi An-Japan Cultural Festival with a series of activities from August 28 to 30, Hoi An's culture centre said on June 25.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The event served as a vibrant display of solidarity, promoting peace, cooperation, and development through cultural dialogue, and reaffirmed HCM City's role as a dynamic hub for cultural diplomacy and international friendship.
The Indian Film Festival not only honours the artistic value of cinema but also contributes to strengthening the friendship and enhancing cultural exchange between the people of Son La in particular and Vietnam in general and India.
An art exchange programme between Vietnam and Cambodia was held on the evening of June 13 in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long as part of the 2025 Cambodia Culture Week in Vietnam.
Digitalisation does not mean commercialisation or oversimplification of culture. It is a way of selecting, adapting, and spreading traditional values through a modern language.
The 11th edition is expected to serve as a vital channel for conveying Vietnam’s development message to the international community, and represent a milestone in the implementation of the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 57 on continuing to improve the quality and efficiency of external information service in the new situation.
Hoai River in Hoi An (Photo: VNA) 
