On Wednesday afternoon, the Da Nang People’s Committee Vice Chairman, Mr Phung Tan Viet, held a reception for some leaders of Nagasaki Province in Japan, led by the Chairman of the provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, Mr Hisakazu Matsukawa.

Chairman Matsukawa said that the Vietnamese Cultural Festival, which took place in his province in June, had attracted over 400 visitors.  This showed that Japanese people have a special love for Viet Nam.  He also expressed his impressions of Da Nang’s remarkable achievements in its tourism sector, with a boom in international-standard seaside resorts and hotels.  He said he hoped that Da Nang and Nagasaki would fully exploit their great advantages and potential for boosting the bilateral cooperation in culture, education and training, tourism, shipbuilding, mechanical engineering, and others aspects.

Vice Chairman Viet and Nagasaki Province leaders

In response, Vice Chairman Viet said he would like the Japanese guests to participate in the annual Viet Nam-Japan Cultural Exchange and Cuisine Festival in Da Nang which introduces Japan’s cultural achievements to the city’s residents. 

The city leader also took the opportunity to ask the Japanese government to continue providing assistance for Da Nang students studying in Japan, as well as helping them to meet with Japanese businesses.  He hoped that Nagasaki and Da Nang would further strengthen their bilateral cooperation in tourism, with a focus on introducing tours between the two localities to their citizens.

Since July 2009, Nagasaki and Da Nang have together implemented a short-term employee exchange programme entitled “Nagasaki’s International Training Programme for Technicians”.  Accordingly, participants from Da Nang have the opportunity to study and learn about the culture and socio-economic situation of Nagasaki, as well as to improve their professional skills and expand their friendly relations.