More than 300 people andrepresentatives of international organisations and travel agents fromsix countries in the Mekong sub-region and Japan attended the openingceremony of the Mekong-Japan Tourism and Culture Days in Can Tho cityon Dec. 2.

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy PrimeMinister Truong Vinh Trong emphasised the significance of theMekong-Japan Tourism and Culture Days which will contribute to thesuccess of the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009 and boost the friendlycooperative relations between Mekong countries and Japan .

The event will help promote the cooperation mechanism for the Mekongsub-region and the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership in the future,said the deputy PM.

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

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

The five-day event that will last until Dec. 5 also include a workshopon sustainable tourism development in the Mekong delta and aministerial talk on Mekong – a river combining cultures and tourism incooperation for the sustainable development and prosperity in Mekongcountries and Japan.

Apart from a Mekong-Japan tourism-culture fair, women’s volleyballtournament, the Mekong-Japan traditional cultural exchange and tourprogrammes are also held during the event./.