“Tuoi Tre [Youth] is a leading newspaper.  We pay a lot of attention to [Tuoi Tre] and it also hosts diverse activities associated with Japan,” Consul General of Japan to Ho Chi Minh City Ono Masuo remarked on Wednesday.

The diplomat shares his appreciation during a visit to Tuoi Tre headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City, where he and the newspaper’s leaders held a meeting focused on promoting cooperation between the two countries.

Consul General Masuo told Tuoi Tre about plans to celebrate the upcoming 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which will fall on September 21.

The Japanese government attaches great importance to strengthening its relationship with Vietnam and wants to further increase the number of Japanese businesses interested in investment in the Southeast Asian nation, Ono affirmed, adding that the anniversary will be a good opportunity for the two countries and peoples to deepen their friendship and expand their cooperation in all fields, the official stated.

Leaders of Tuoi Tre newspaper (L) host a meeting with visiting Japanese Consul General Ono Masuo on August 30, 2023. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre

Tuoi Tre’s Editor-in-Chief Le The Chu told Masuo that the newspaper hasplans to launch a special the Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 in Tokyo in early October with the aim to celebrate the anniversary.

“Through this event, we will promote ‘pho’, the national dish of Vietnam, to the world,” Chu emphasized.

The consul general also shared that he highly valued this meaningful event and said he will support it as much as possible.

During its 49 years of operation, Tuoi Tre, in addition to providing domestic and international readers with attractive news, has also paid great attention to activities that help develop Vietnamese culture and create connections between similar cultures in the world, Chu told the guest.

Tuoi Tre has a very special interest in Japan as the Japanese and Vietnamese peoples have cultural similarities, he added.

Over the past several years, the newspaper has organized a series of cultural, gastronomic, and educational events to further promote Vietnam-Japan ties, including those featuring likenesses between Vietnamese and Japanese cuisines, providing information on studying in Japan, and promoting cooperation in other fields.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan’s Mainichi newspaper coordinated with Tuoi Tre to organize the annual Kizuna Ekiden Run - a form of collective jogging created by the Japanese - in Hanoi, drawing interest from locals in this type of sport.

A poster of the 2023 Vietnam Pho Festival that will be launched in Tokyo, Japan, in early October 2023. Photo: Tuoi Tre

In addition, Tuoi Tre often publishes information related to mutual visits by senior leaders from the two countries, as well as bilateral economic, cultural, educational exchanges, always attracting the attention of a great deal of readers.

Chu also told the consul general that the newspaper is ready to act as a bridge to provide information about Japan's plans and activities to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties with Vietnam.

Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic relations on September 21, 1973 and the bilateral ties have fruitfully developed ever since.

The Northeast Asian country is Vietnam’s fourth-largest trade partner, with two-way trade reaching nearly U$50 billion in 2022, according to official sources.

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