Three hundred and twenty-eight outstanding delegates and young people from ten ASEAN countries and Japan on the 46th Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Program (SSEAYP) 2019 arrived in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday afternoon.

SSEAYP is a cooperation program that has been organized by the governments of Japan and the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1974, with a view to fostering friendship among their youth.

During the program, SSEAYP ambassadors will have the unique opportunity to live together on board the Japanese cruise ship Nippon Maru for over 40 days and travel across Japan and the ten ASEAN countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.

Vietnam is the ship’s first stop this year after its departure from Japan on November 3.

This is also the 17th time the Nippon Maru has carried SSEAYP ambassadors to visit Ho Chi Minh City.

Upon their arrival at Cat Lai Port in District 2 on Sunday, the 328 ambassadors were warmly received by the Vietnamese hosts.

As the delegates of each country disembarked from the cruise ship, they formed lines on the gangway and chanted “Xin chao Viet Nam!” (Hello, Vietnam!) while waving their national flags.

Speaking at the reception ceremony, Nguyen Ngoc Luong, secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and vice-chairman of the National Council of Youth, expressed gratitude to the Japanese and ASEAN governments participating in the program.

After the reception, the 328 outstanding delegates and young people attended a cultural exchange event with Ho Chi Minh City’s youth at the hall of the city’s Party Committee in District 3, where 14 performances were staged by the hosts and guests on Sunday evening.

The delegates are expected to engage in several activities to learn about the culture, economic and social situation, and people of Ho Chi Minh City during their four-day stay in the southern Vietnamese metropolis.

Since its inauguration, SSEAYP has brought about 12,000 young people on its voyages.

Vietnam participated in the program for the first time in 1996 and has since sent around 700 representatives on board the Nippon Maru.

This year, Vietnam has 28 delegates joining the 46th SSEAYP.

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