In mid-July, when the Da Nang International Fireworks Festival 2023 ended, locals and visitors had a chance to be immersed themselves in another special festival -  The 8^th Viet Nam - Japan Festival 2023.

With a series of large-scale cultural and artistic activities, this year’s festival brought a new experience, and a healthy and interesting playground for local residents and visitors, as well as provided them with the good opportunity to learn about ‘the land of the rising sun’.

The artistic lighting space at the western bank of the Rong (Dragon) Bridge attracts lots of people

Magnificent light space

Co-organized by the Da Nang government, the Japanese Consulate General in Da Nang and some local Japanese authorities, the 8^th Viet Nam - Japan Festival 2023 aimed to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries (September 21, 1973 - 2023).

The opening for this important milestone event is the artistic light space with the scale of more than 500,000 LED lights.

Hosted by the Japanese Business Association in Da Nang, the event is taking place from July 12 - 23 at a public park at the western bank of the Rong (Dragon) Bridge.

Chairman of the Japanese Business Association in Da Nang Keiji Hirayama said that the artistic lighting space is presented under 3 themes, namely Sakura Dom, Sakura garden and lotus pond.

This is the first of its kind in Da Nang, bringing a new and meaningful experience space to both residents and visitors.

“Over the past 50 years, the diplomatic relations between Viet Nam and Japan have witnessed many bright spots. Therefore, this art light space symbolises the current fine relationships between the two countries" Mr. Keiji Hirayama emphasised.

The free space attracts hundreds of people, especially the young, every night who come to visit, enjoy and record beautiful moments with their family members and friends.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Chi, a resident of Lien Chieu District, commented that the light space was designed beautifully and colorfully. The rows of LED lights were arranged in a balanced manner, creating a walkway for people to go for a stroll and admire the themes.

In particular, the Sakura Dom area is wide and long, beautifully decorated with the main pink colour, and very suitable for young people to check-in.

“I really like this light space. It's great that the city has one more place to serve people and tourists during the summer" Ms. Chi said.

Many cultural exchange activities

The Viet Nam - Japan Festival has been held in Da Nang since 2014. Through 7 times of organisation, the annual event has become a favourite destination among locals and visitors, especially young people who love culture, people and land of Japan.

This year’s event, held at the East Sea Park, featured 80 booths from domestic and foreign organisations and units, introducing culture and cuisine of the two countries, and information on education, tourism and commerce.

Notably, during the festival, there were more than 20 cultural exchange activities between the two countries. Prominent among them were nighttime art programme introducing Vietnamese folk art and musical instruments, tea ceremony, calligraphy writing and Japanese flower arrangement.

In particular, two rock nights with the participation of music bands from Da Nang and Japan conveyed a youthful and vibrant connection message in the trend of modern music exchange in the world.

Also, there were such special performances "Giant sushi roll" by chef Hoshi Phan, and exchange activities with Japanese actors, singers and manga artists.

Visitors to the festival were free to visit and check-in at the gate celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of the Viet Nam - Japan diplomatic relations, and clusters of iconic miniatures of the two countries. They had the chance to dress up and enjoy the signature dishes from the land of the rising sun.

Mrs. Hach Thi Phuong, residing in Son Tra District, shared that “Hopefully, the city will organise more cultural festivals with other countries so that people have the opportunity to learn about and experience the characteristics of countries around the world”.

According to Mrs. Ngo Viet Hoai Thuong, Deputy Director in charge of the Da Nang Centre for International Cooperation Development under the municipal Department of Foreign Affairs, the highlight of this year's festival was a number of attractive companion activities in Da Nang such as the Pro Wrestling Show and the One Piece.

This event was also an opportunity for the city to introduce the traditional values and modern beauty of Da Nang, and Viet Nam as a whole, to Japanese friends, thereby opening up cooperation opportunities between Da Nang and Japanese localities in many fields.

Reporting by KHOI NGUYEN - Translating by M.DUNG