The two-day event is the first festival in Japan to feature Vietnamese 'banh mi' as its main theme.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Minister-Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan Nguyen Sau said 'banh mi' and coffee are two familiar and distinctive Vietnamese specialties that are increasingly popular in Japan and around the world.

He said visitors to the festival could not only enjoy Vietnamese food and drinks but also experience a part of the country’s culture, people and identity.

The diplomat noted that this year’s festival coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, providing an opportunity for Vietnamese and Japanese families to join cultural activities together.

He expressed his hope that through activities such as lantern processions, lion dances and mooncake tasting, Japanese children would learn more about Vietnamese culture, while Vietnamese children in Japan would have opportunities to experience and preserve traditional customs from their homeland.

Despite the rain on the opening day, thousands of visitors came to explore and enjoy Vietnamese cuisine. Many stopped at food stalls to choose 'banh mi' or hot dishes before continuing to discover other Vietnamese flavours.

The organisers hoped the festival will become an annual event, providing a friendly venue for Japanese people to discover Vietnamese cuisine and for the Vietnamese community to share flavours from their homeland./.