The event is co-organized by the People’s Committee of Hoi An City, the Japanese Embassy and the Japan Foundation for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam. The opening program will be held at 7 p.m. on August 20 in An Hoi Statue Garden with Japanese and Vietnamese singing, dancing, classical opera and lively scenes performed by artists from Vietnam and Japan.

During the two-day event, there are many folk games and sporting activities such as stick pushing competition, sack races, bowls, amateur boat race, rope jumping, as well as a display of artistic pictures, Origami paper wrapping, Kimono and Yukata costume performances, Vietnamese ao dai show; selection of Miss Kimono and a charitable music show for tsunami and earthquake victims in Japan. The event will be attended by skillful artisans from traditional craft villages of pottery making, mattress weaving, Kim Bong carpentry and lanterns. Japanese artists will make traditional cakes, compose Haiku poems and wrap Furoshiki fabric.

Japanese Haiku style of poetry, the shortest style of 17 syllables, will be introduced in Hoi An for the first time through the Haiku poem composing festival and there is also a Vietnamese calligraphy performance.

The closing ceremony and gala dinner this year will be a cozy, camp-fire night featuring traditional games, community dancing and lanterns.