DaNang (VNA) - The Vietnam - Japan cultural exchange festival 2018officially kicked off in the central city of Da Nang on July 26 as part ofactivities to mark the 45th anniversary of the diplomatic tiesbetween the two countries.

In his opening remark, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son highlighted thefruitful development of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties in all spheres overthe past 45 years, affirming that the two countries have created mutual trustamong their senior leaders, ministries, sectors and peoples.

The recent State-level visit to Japan by President Tran Dai Quang hascontributed to the ushering in a new development period for the friendship andcooperation between the two nations.

Son stressed that Japan is now the largest provider of official development assistance(ODA), and a top partner of Vietnam in accelerating industrialization and modernization.

Japan is also the second largest investment, third biggest tourism and fourth tradepartner of Vietnam now, he added, noting that Vietnam is an attractivedestination for Japanese investors.

People-to-people exchanges between the two countries have been constantly expandedwith 260,000 Vietnamese now living, studying and working in Japan, up nearly 4times compared to the figure of 2013. The number of Japanese people in Vietnam toppedover 16,000.

Son said the Vietnam - Japan cultural exchange festival 2018offers a good chance for Vietnamese people to not only get insights intoJapan’s culture and people’s life, but also learn from Japan’s experience inurban development and tourism, thus promoting cooperation between the twosides.

He said he believed that the event will help strengthen mutual trust andunderstanding, contributing to deepening the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategicpartnership.

Deputy Secretary of the Da Nang Party Committee Vo Cong Tri said the city has sofar established friendship and cooperation with over 30 prefectures and citiesof Japan, with many cooperation programs bringing practical benefits to the twocountries’ localities.

The effective use of ODA provided by the Japanese Government for transport andindustrial infrastructure development, along with flexible policies of thelocality, has created an attractive investment environment for Japanesebusinesses.

Da Nang is home to 150 Japanese -invested projects with a total capital of 530million USD, mostly on electronic and electrical equipment production, and informationtechnology. It is also a favorite destination for visitors from Japan.

For his part, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Kunio Umeda affirmed the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties will be an important milestonefor promoting the bilateral relations across the fields.

Within the framework of the event, many exchange activities will be arranged tointroduce cultural identities and arts of both countries to visitors.

Thefestival will last until July 29.-VNA