Vietnamese people in Higashi-Hiroshima city in Japan’s Hiroshima prefecture attend the Tet celebration on February 2. (Photo: VNA)
A Lunar New Year (Tet) celebration was held in Higashi-Hiroshima city in Japan’s Hiroshima prefecture on February 2 or the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
The event was co-organised by the Consulate General of Vietnam in Fukuoka, the Vietnam-Japan Experts’ Society (VJS), the Vietnamese Community in Central and Southern Japan, and the Hiroshima-Vietnam Peace and Friendship Association.
It saw the participation of Higashi-Hiroshima authorities, local businesses, Japanese friends, and the Vietnamese community in the city.
Participants enjoyed cultural performances, tried on traditional Vietnamese and Japanese attire, and experienced bamboo pole dancing, calligraphy, origami, mochi rice cake making, and traditional theater performances. Traditional Tet dishes were also offered there.
Speaking at the event, Consul General Vu Chi Mai extended her New Year wishes to the Vietnamese community and called on Japanese businesses in Hiroshima to invest more in Vietnam.
Mai said she hoped Hiroshima University will further strengthen the transfer of science and technology through its Vietnam Centre directed by Professor Tran Dang Xuan who is also VJS President.
The diplomat informed that the university has launched a PhD programme in agriculture in Vietnam and plans to expand training to research on hydrogen, smart cities, and carbon neutrality, particularly to an English-language training programme for semiconductor engineers for Vietnamese students starting in 2026.
For his part, Higashi-Hiroshima Mayor Hironori Takagaki appreciated the important role of the Vietnamese community in Hiroshima's economy.
Takagaki said that with three direct flights per week from Hanoi to Hiroshima, it is expected that more Vietnamese tourists will visit Hiroshima.
Hiroshima, one of Japan's key economic regions, is now home to over 20,000 Vietnamese people./.
