Japanese artists entertained the local audience with three special dances, while their counterparts from Vietnam won the applause for a series of folk singing performances such as cheo, quan ho, xam and chau van.

The head of the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs, Aoki Tamotsu said, in the context that folk cultures have fallen into oblivion and faced a threat of deformation in many countries, the festival is expected to help preserve and maintain intangible cultural heritages of both nations.

This is also a valuable chance for the local people to enjoy special folk cultural performances of Japan and Vietnam, he added.

The festival, co-organised by the Embassy of Vietnam in Japan and the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs, forms part of the annual International Folk Performance Festival 2009.

Since 1996, the agency has invited art troupes from foreign countries to perform in Japan during the International Folk Performance Festival.