Published:  00:00 Wednesday - December 02, 2009

Various activities were held before the opening ceremony of the Mekong-Japan Culture and Tourism Festival, which officially took place in the evening in Can Tho city on Dec. 2.

The opening ceremony will include two parts, with the first telling stories about rivers and their important role in people’s daily lives and the second featuring traditional art by Vietnamese and foreign artists.

A charity walk named “The Mekong dream” started on the morning of Dec. 2 attracting the participation of cultural ministries from regional countries and more than 5,000 local people and international friends.

During the event, the organising board presented donations worth US$10,000 each to representatives of Mekong Delta countries, namely Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, to support poor pupils achieving good academic results.

The same day, a Mekong-Japan tourism trade fair was held in Can Tho to showcase tourism products and services with over 55 stands for businesses in the Mekong Delta provinces, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, as well as those from Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Japan.

According to Nguyen Van Tuan, head of the Vietnam Administration of Tourism, the trade fair was a good chance to introduce tourism potential to the Mekong sub-region countries and Japan. The event created a good venue for local and foreign tourism businesses to share information and seek investment opportunities.

Besides, the 2009 Vietnam International Agriculture Trade Fair was also organised on Dec. 2 in Can Tho, with nearly 300 local and foreign businesses taking part in. During the fair, there were some seminars, exhibitions and contests, focusing on agricultural cultivation and rural labour.