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Japanese youths taking part in a cultural exchange tour alight in HCM City to be greeted by a welcoming ceremony organised by their Vietnamese peers. — VNS Photo Van Dat |
The ship berthed in HCM City's Saigon Port to begin its eleventh visit to Viet Nam.
At the port, Vietnamese youths and Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union's HCM City Chapter held a ceremony before the delegations left to take part in cultural exchange activities at the city hall.
During a press briefing on board just a few minutes before the welcoming ceremony, Phan Thi Thuy Tram, leader of the Vietnamese delegation, said they had already taken part in various cultural exchanges on board with the other delegations as well as in the countries they had visited.
They had discussed topics including youth participation in social activities, promoting cross-cultural understanding, climate change and international relations, among others, he added.
The activities aimed to promote mutual communication through the pursuit of common concerns and interests.
On Saturday evening, Viet Nam Night featuring Vietnamese ao dai and martial arts was held, Tram said, adding that participating youths from other ASEAN countries had really enjoyed the programme.
"I have learned a lot from other countries during the trip," Tram said.
The Southeast Asian Youth Programme (SSEAYP) 2010 delegation, which includes 29 Vietnamese youths, left Yokohama in Japan by ship on a 52-day journey through six countries that will see the youths return to Tokyo on December 15. Some 170 families in the city have volunteered to house the guests during their three-day stay which will expose them to Vietnamese culture. The city dwellers are eager to take part in the programme and several families have done this on more than one occasion.
The participants will learn Vietnamese culture from attending cultural and social activities covering the environment, international relations, education, health, food, and community development.
This year, the ship travelled to Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Viet Nam.
Started in 1974, SSEAYP is a joint initiative by Japan and the five founding ASEAN members — Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. More than 10,000 youths from the ten ASEAN countries and Japan have travelled on the ship.
It seeks to strengthen friendship, co-operation, and understanding between Japanese and Southeast Asian youths to help build a peaceful, stable, and developed region.
Viet Nam joined the programme in 1996. — VNS
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