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“The 7th Vietnam – Japan Cultural Exchange Days” in Hội An 2009 is the annual festival with many cultural activities: folklore and contemporary.

The 2009 festival as a national event will be organized on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Hội An ancient town – the World Cultural Heritage, also the time when Hội An welcomes the UNESCO recognition for Cham Islands (Cù Lao Chàm) – the World Biosphere Reserve. The festival is from August 14th – 16th, 2009 in Hội An ancient town and Cham Islands.

There are some special activities of cultural exchange such as “The Vietnamese Cultural Space”, the photo exhibition of six previous festivals, the seminar for environment, the Japanese sticky rice cake making festival, Japanese gastronomy, Japanese tea ceremony, Sakura planting festival and so on…

Especially, this festival will be participated by some professional artistic bands from Japan, such as: The band GYPSY QUEEN and the Vietnamese singer Mỹ Linh, Tap Dance, traditional Drum performance, the performance by the Japanese pianist HIGUCHI AYUKO, KIMONO performance … The Japan festival 2009, opening in the evening of August 15th at the Sông Hoài square, will reflect strongly the Japanese culture.

• Opening: 19:30-21:30, August 14th, 2009 at Sông Hoài Square.

• Closing: 20:00-21:00, August 16th, 2009 at Chàm islands.

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Hội An Ancient town was one of the most thriving trade ports in the Southeast Asia in the centuries of XVII, XVIII. Since the 17th century, there had been many traders from Portugal, UK, France…, especially from Japan to come to do business, settle, get married to local residents…, and to establish the Japanese quarter. The symbol of Hội An – the World Cultural Heritage, the Japanese Bridge (Nihonbashi) is also a significant symbol of the cultural exchange between two nations.

Since the early 1980s, some organizations, experts, volunteers from Japan have come to Hội An in the projects of researching, supporting and directly supervising the restorations of some old monuments in the Hội An ancient town.

Since 2003 with 6 festivals, “The Vietnam – Japan Culture Exchange Days” in Hội An has become the annual event, aiming to strengthen the Vietnamese – Japanese friendly cooperation, to popularize the value of Hội An Ancient town – the World Cultural Heritage in and out of the country, and especially to attract tourists from Japan.

In 2009, this event is held on the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of Hội An Ancient town – the UNESCO Heritage and to welcome the UNESCO recognition for Cham Islands – the World Biosphere Reserve. The event is being held in August 14th – 16th, 2009, in Hội An Ancient Town and Cham Islands.

The 7th event having a very special significance in the national scale is presided by the Vietnamese and Japanese Governments.

This event is held by Hội An city People’s Committee and the Japanese Embassy in Viet Nam, and the event supporters including the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan International Exchange Fund, the Viet Nam – Japan Humans Sources Cooperation Center (VJCC), the Center for Culture Exchange in Viet Nam (Japan Foundation), Sakai City, the Japan Showa Women Unniversity, the Japanese Businessmen Association in the Central Viet Nam, the Japan Tokyo Unnversity and Hisamitsu Corporation.

This event includes not only cultural – artistic activities obtaining the impression in previous years but also the rich, unique, strange activities such as: the Procession of the beauties of Miss Sakura and Miss Hội An tourism, the Vietnamese Cultural Space, the performance by the band Gypsy Queen and the singer Mỹ Linh, the performance of Tap Dance, the performance of the Japanese traditional drumming, the performance of the Japanese pianist Higuchi Ayuko, the fashion shows of the Vietnames Áo Dài and Japanese Kimono..

Contact:
The Standing Office: The Hội An Center for Culture and Sports
Add: Sông Hoài Square, Hội An City
Tel: 0510.3861327 - Fax: 0510.3863761
Email: ttvhtt@dng.vnn.vn
Websites: www.hoianworldheritage.org.vn, www.hoianancienttown.vn