Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong emphasised the significance of the Mekong-Japan Tourism and Culture Days which will contribute to the success of the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009 and boost the friendly cooperative relations between Mekong countries and Japan.

The event will help promote the cooperation mechanism for the Mekong sub-region and the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership in the future, said the Deputy Prime Minister.

The event will not only open a new period of cooperation between the Mekong sub-regional countries and Japan but also be an opportunity for promoting the image of Vietnam and the socio-economic potential of the Mekong Delta.

Almost 200 Vietnamese artists joined their colleagues from five other countries in the Mekong sub-region and Japan entertained the participants at the ceremony.

The five-day event that will last until December 5 also include a workshop on sustainable tourism development in the Mekong Delta and a ministerial talk on Mekong – a river combining cultures and tourism in cooperation for the sustainable development and prosperity in Mekong countries and Japan.

Apart from a Mekong-Japan tourism-culture fair, women’s volleyball tournament, the Mekong-Japan traditional cultural exchange and tour programmes are also held during the event.