The “ASEAN-Japan Music Festival 2019” (Photo: VNA)

The event, themed “Prayer for Peace,” was held by the Vietnam Television (VTV) and the Japan Foundation Asia Centre at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s congratulatory message said: “Vietnam as a coordinating country of the ASEAN-Japan relations actively organized this unique, significant event to boost cultural exchanges and mutual understanding between people, forging closer ties between the 10 ASEAN member countries and Japan, a country of cherry blossoms for friendship, cooperation, and mutual trust.

In his congratulatory message, Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo said: “As part of "ASEAN-Japan Day", the festival is a significant event involving excellent singers from ASEAN and Japan to deepen mutual understanding between the future generations of ASEAN and Japan as well as consolidate a sentiment of “heart-to-heart partnership.”

The festival was held as a part of the "ASEAN-Japan Day" Commemorative Event that Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo announced to host at the Japan-ASEAN Summit of last year. The program was produced by Vietnam-Japan and Japan-Vietnam Special Ambassador Ryotaro Sugi, who is also Special Ambassador for Japan and ASEAN.