Vietnamese traditional event – Celebratory exchange of Vietnam National Foundation Day –

March 10th of the lunar calendar is the anniversary of the death of King Hung, the founder of Vietnam, and is one of the most important holidays in Vietnam. According to Vietnamese folklore, King Hung was the hero who founded the first country in Vietnam called “Van Lan” in 2879 BC and is a symbol of the unification of the multi-ethnic country. The date of this festival changes every year due to the nature of the lunar calendar, and on Sunday, April 18th, the “Vietnamese Association of Japan (VAJ)” had a celebratory exchange at a meeting place in Ota-ku, Tokyo.

This year’s event was held on a smaller scale to combat the spread of the coronavirus infection, but the traditional Vietnamese ancestral worship ritual was quite spectacular. Participating as guests, Mr. Ogawa, Director General and Ms. Kawai, Director of the 2nd Operation Division of the FWEAP, Mr. Fukiura, Special Advisor and Ms. Yanase, Chairperson of the Association for Aid and Relief, Japan, and Mr. Suzuki, General Secretary of the Commission for the Solidarity with the Asian Underprivileged.

After the ancestor worship ceremony and speech from the organizers and guests, a panel discussion on the stability of the South China Sea and the surrounding area and an annual activity report of VAJ was held.

Mr. Mikami, VAJ Acting Chairman

Mr. Ogawa, FWEAP Director General