VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh speaking at the Opening Ceremony (Photo: Organising Board)

Attending the event were H.E Mr. Pham Quang Hieu - Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan; H.E Mr. Yamaguchi Natsuo - Chairman of Komeito; H.E Mr. Aoyagi Yoichiro - Member of Japan's House of Representatives; with domestic and foreign travel agencies and businesses…

At the Opening Ceremony, Mr. Le The Chu - Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper, said, through Pho festival, Vietnam can introduce to Japanese people unique culinary cultural values and promote the images and potential of Vietnam. At the same time, the event also helps Vietnamese people and businesses explore cuisine, culture and open up business opportunities in Japan. Thereby promoting cultural exchanges and cohesion as well as economic relations, cultivating the friendship between Vietnam and Japan increasingly deeper and stronger.

Delegates cutting ribbon to open the Festival (Photo: Organising Board)

Giving his remarks at the event, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh stated, Vietnam Phở Festival is organised for the first time in a foreign country. Besides the purpose of promoting the quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine, the event has important significance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

Pho is one of the typical dishes, representing the culinary quintessence of Vietnam. The appeal and popularity of Pho has been recognized by the international community when the noun "Pho" was included in the Oxford Simplified English Dictionary, and was honoured by Google on the search homepage in 20 countries, regularly appears in international lists of the world's most delicious dishes as well as receiving love from tourists who have visited Vietnam.

Pho is not only a familiar dish of Vietnamese people but has also become a cultural beauty, a sophisticated way of storytelling, so that through enjoying Pho, international tourists can feel and understand more about Vietnamese culture, history and people of Vietnam.

With potential, cultural strengths, long history, rich cuisine, diverse natural resources, security, political stability, favourable visa-free entry policy, Vietnam is one of the favourite destinations of Japanese tourists. According to research by the ASEAN - Japan Center, Japanese tourists rate Vietnamese cuisine as one of the top tourist attraction factors. Therefore, national cuisine in general and Pho in particular are always a key tourism product that is focused on developing when implementing promotion programmes to Japan.

 Large number of Japanese people and visitors attending the Vietnam Phở Festival 2023 (Photo: Organising Board)

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh believes that with unique introduction activities of Pho booths and art performances, the event is not only an opportunity to promote the country, culture, cuisine and tourism of Vietnam, but also connects Vietnamese - Japanese culture, further tightening the good cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Japan.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu, for a long time, culinary festivals have always been the most ideal cultural exchange points, where festival goers can easily find compatibility and closeness even though they come from many countries. Vietnamese cuisine has always been attractive to Japanese people. And when mentioning Vietnamese cuisine, it is impossible not to mention pho, because this dish has similarities with Japanese food, has an elegant, gentle flavour, suitable for the natural atmosphere of each season.

For all the festival goers to the Vietnam Phở Festival 2023, Vietnamese and Japanese people will have the opportunity to fully feel the flavour of pho - culinary quintessence blended with cultural values, history and homeland flavours.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh gifting souvenir to H.E Mr. Aoyagi Yoichiro - Member of Japan's House of Representatives (Photo: Organising Board)

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