The event is just one of many activities planned for 2009, in response to the “cultural diplomatic year” launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The programme, entitled “The Ambassador’s Table”, features the Vietnamese ambassador to Tokyo, Mr. Nguyen Phu Binh, his wife and their embassy cooks.

In the programme, the ambassador and his colleagues give an introduction to Vietnamese food and drink culture, as well as local manners and customs to their Japanese friends.

Fuji TV also broadcast footage of unique Vietnamese cultural items, such as Dong Son kettledrums, Chu Dau porcelain, Dong Ho folk art, and pictures of Halong Bay by the famous Japanese painter, Mizuki Kiyomi Totsune.

Ambassador Binh said that he expects the programme to provide an insight into Vietnam ’s food and drink culture in particular, as well as painting a wider picture of the country’s landscape and people, contributing to the promotion of Vietnam as a tourist destination.