Japanese violists Masakazu Saito, Shunichiro Sato, Kumiko Nakagawa and Tetsuya Osawa are set to perform in Da Nang to mark the 45^th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries on 26 - 27 June.

Hitting the right note: Japanese violists Masakazu Saito, Shunichiro Sato, Kumiko Nakagawa and Tetsuya Osawa. — Photo courtesy Tomo Usuda

Usuda Reiko, a member of the Japan-Viet Nam Friendship Association in Kawasaki, said the quartet will take the stage at the Nguyen Hien Dinh Theatre from 7.30pm to 9.30pm on 26 June, and from 9.00am to 11.00am on 27 June at the city's library.

The Japanese artists will also play a live show at the oncology center from 3.30pm to 4.00pm on June 27, Reiko said.

It’s part of a series programmes that will be held in the city, and Central Viet Nam as a whole, to promote friendship between Japan and Viet Nam.

The non-profit concert has been endorsed by the Japanese Embassy, the Da Nang Union of Friendship Organisations, and the Japan Business Association in Da Nang.

Reiko said she used inheritance money from her mother to bring the JPO quartet to Viet Nam to build future cultural and arts exchange between the countries.

The concert has been supported by musicians Le Cat Trong Ly and Nguyen Thanh Tu, Tetsuji Honna (Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra music director and head conductor), Saeko Ando (Japanese lacquer artist), and Le Ly Hayslip, a Vietnamese-American writer.

The quartet will also perform in Hoi An.

Japanese donors from Kawasaki have handed over 12,000 second-hand bikes to underprivileged school children in Da Nang and Quang Nam since 2003.

Da Nang and Hoi An hosted the first annual Viet Nam-Japan Culture Exchange Festival in 2012.

Japan plans to open a Consulate General in Da Nang to boost tourism.

Japanese lessons have been offered at some junior secondary schools as part of the city’s foreign language teaching programme for 2012 - 2020.

Da Nang has also reserved a 1.2ha area for developing the Japan-Viet Nam Culture Centre in Ngu Hanh Son District.

To date, Japanese businesses have opened a total of 27 restaurants in Da Nang, and a large Japanese community has also settled in Da Nang and Hoi An.

(Source: VNS/ DA NANG Today)