The event, jointly held by the HCM City Union of Friendship Organisations and the municipal Department for Culture, Sports and Tourism, was part of celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties.

During the festival, various cultural and sports activities took place, including a cuisine exhibition, a poem exchange programme, a tea making art, a fencing performance, Yosakoi dancing, and ornamental fish show.

A lacquer painting exhibition was also held to showcase 50 artworks created by Tran Quan Ngoc, Chairman of Esperanto International Language Association, with a focus on the beauty of Japanese people and their land.

A  charity programme was also launched at the event to raise funds for the poor and disadvantaged children in mountainous and remote areas.

The Vietnam-Japan Hiroshima Association donated 300,000 Japanese yen in support of poor patients in HCM City and the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap.