Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu visits Asahikawa City, Hokkaido, and attends press conference for Vietnam Festival 2026

           On August 20–21, 2026, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu paid a working visit to Asahikawa City, Hokkaido, and attended and delivered remarks at the press conference introducing the “Vietnam Festival 2026 in Hokkaido – Asahikawa”.

          Speaking at the press conference, Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu highly commended the initiatives and efforts of the Asahikawa city administration, the organizing committee, Mr. Takebe, and relevant agencies and organizations in bringing the Vietnam Festival to Asahikawa. The Ambassador emphasized that the festival offers an opportunity for the people of Asahikawa and Hokkaido to gain a deeper understanding of Vietnam—its country, culture, cuisine, and people—while also fostering greater interaction and connection between the Vietnamese community and local residents.

          The Ambassador expressed his confidence that the festival would serve as a new bridge, contributing to the promotion and deepening of relations between Vietnam and Asahikawa City in particular, and Hokkaido in general. He noted that it would enhance mutual understanding, people-to-people exchanges, and friendship between the two peoples, thereby making a practical contribution to the increasingly comprehensive and substantive development of the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

          The “Vietnam Festival 2026 in Hokkaido – Asahikawa” marks the first time the Vietnam Festival in Hokkaido is being held in Asahikawa, as well as the first time it is taking place outside of Sapporo City. With the theme “Opening up an advanced model of coexistence and symbiosis between Hokkaido and Vietnam”, the festival aims to create a space where Vietnamese and Japanese people can meet, experience each other's cultures, and strengthen bonds with the local community. The festival’s highlight is the main program taking place on September 5–6, 2026, at the plaza north of JR Asahikawa Station. It features cultural and artistic performances from both Vietnam and Hokkaido, culinary showcases, and booths promoting products and activities by businesses and organizations with ties to Vietnam. Notably, the program includes the “Kodomo Bon Odori” (Children's Bon Dance), offering families and young people from both nations a chance to participate and experience a quintessential Japanese summer cultural tradition, thereby fostering exchange and strengthening bonds between the Vietnamese community and local society.

          Beyond being merely a cultural festival, the event series incorporates the Hokkaido-Vietnam Forum and activities designed to facilitate networking and exchange in sectors such as healthcare, social welfare, business, and human resources. Through these initiatives, the event aims to translate cultural exchange and friendship into concrete, substantive cooperation that delivers tangible benefits to the people and communities of both sides, while also opening up new opportunities for collaboration between Vietnam, Asahikawa, and Hokkaido.

          Asahikawa is Hokkaido's second-largest city and a vital hub for the economy, industry, transportation, healthcare, and culture in the northern part of the region. The city boasts strengths in agriculture, food processing, the wood and furniture industry, and design; it is also renowned for numerous attractions, most notably the Asahiyama Zoo. Currently, approximately 500 Vietnamese people live, study, and work in Asahikawa, contributing actively to the local socio-economic development and multicultural community life.