HCM City eyes to expand tourism cooperation with Japanese prefecture

Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee (C) receives Hirose Noriko (second from the left), Tourism Ambassador of HCM City in Aichi. (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) - Following their successes in cooperation over the past five decades, Vietnam, including Ho Chi Minh City, and Japan need to immediately implement cooperation projects to mark the first year of the next 50-year period of cooperation, said Phan Van Mai, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee.

Mai made the suggestion a reception on March 19 for Hirose Noriko, Tourism Ambassador of HCM City in Aichi prefecture, during which they discussed orientations for tourism cooperation activities between the southern largest economic hub and the Japanese prefecture.

He said the Vietnam Festival in Aichi, which is scheduled to be held in November 2024, will be one of the cultural events that need to be prioritised for organisation.

The official thanked the Governor of Aichi for creating favourable conditions for organising the festival, affirming that in this year’s event, HCM City will deeply join cultural and artistic activities, introduce Vietnamese cuisine, and promote trade, investment and tourism connection.

He expressed his belief that Noriko will continue to promote her role as a bridge promoting HCM City’s tourism to businesses and people of Aichi, thus helping to boost tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges to further strengthen cohesion and deepen the relationship between the two localities in particular, and between Vietnam and Japan in general.

For her part, Noriko showed her joy at the success of the Vietnam Festival in Aichi and the Vietnam - Japan Festival in HCM City last year, saying that they contributed to enhancing understanding, solidarity, and friendship between the people of the two countries.

Aichi is home to the largest number of Vietnamese nationals in Japan with more than 51,000 people. Therefore, the Vietnamese Festival in the Japanese prefecture always attracts the attention and participation of many tourists.

The success of the Vietnam Festival is also a lesson to help Aichi confidently organise more cultural festivals in the future, she added.

Speaking highly of the potential for tourism cooperation between HCM City and Aichi, Noriko pledged to do her best as the tourism ambassador of HCM City in Aichi./.