Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, (left) presents a souvenir to Phan Van Mai, chairman of Ho Chi City’s People’s Committee. (Photo: VNA)

He made the commitment at a meeting with Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor to the Japan-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance (JVFPA) on the organization of the event.

Mai appreciated ideas raised by Takebe, who is head of Japan-Viet Nam Festival organizing committee, regarding the matter, saying that in 2023, it is necessary to well organize activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Japan to mark the past journey and open a new one with deeper and higher cooperation and trust.

He expressed his gratitude for the love, sharing and companionship of the people and government of Japan, including the JVFPA and Takebe for Viet Nam. In particular, during the recent outbreak of COVID-19, Viet Nam received sharing of experience in pandemic prevention and help with vaccines and medical equipment from Japan.

For his part, Takebe said that in 2021, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the seventh Japan-Viet Nam Festival was successfully held with an attendance of 240,000 people.

He emphasized that Japan wants the festival to become a festival of youth, attracting the participation of the young people of the two countries, thus enhancing their exchange and mutual understanding. The eighth Japan-Viet Nam festival is expected to become a symbol of the two countries' victory over the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a symbol of peace and towards the world’s future.