The 10th Vietnam Festival  opens in Tokyo, Japan, on June 10, the Vietnam News Agency reports.

Thousands of visitors flock to the event

Thousands of Vietnamese and Japanese visitors flocked to the opening ceremony of the two-day event which houses more than 120 pavilions, including food stalls.

Visitors could taste Vietnamese traditional dishes, buy handicraft products, and join an exhibition affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong said he hopes the festival will contribute to strengthening the extensive strategic partnership between the two countries.

President of New Komeito Party Yamaguchi Natsuo took the occasion to highlight that the relations between Vietnam and Japan are growing in various fields such as politics, economics and culture.

The Vietnam Festival was first held in 2008 as part of the activities to celebrate the 35th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties.

There are around 200,000 Vietnamese living in Japan, mostly students and trainees.