The festival is part of an agreement on culture, sport, and tourism cooperation signed by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MoCST) and Kanagawa city last year, which includes the annual organisation of the Vietnam Festival in Kanagawa and the Kanagawa Festival in Vietnam.

Nguyen Duc Minh, Chargé d'Affaires of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, noted that the event has become a beloved tradition and an effective bridge of friendship between the people of the two countries since its inception in 2015.

The Vietnam Festival serves as a vital platform to connect the people of Vietnam and Japan, promoting the image of Vietnam, its people and cultural values to the Japanese public, especially those in Kanagawa, Minh said.

Expected to attract over 200,000 visitors, the two-day festival featured around 100 booths showcasing the beauty of Vietnamese culture, traditional cuisine, economic strengths, and specialties. As in previous years, Vietnamese food stalls were a major draw, with long lines of visitors eager to enjoy famous dishes such as 'pho' and 'banh mi'.

A dedicated space for books and materials introducing Vietnam's maritime sovereignty and a booth of the Vietnamese Youth and Student Association in Japan (VYSA) also attracted many visitors keen to learn and explore. Despite the midday heat, a large number of Japanese people still patiently waited to enjoy the captivating performances of Vietnamese water puppetry./.VNA