Visit Nagasaki, a bridge of Vietnam - Japan friendship

For Vietnamese tourists, the most special thing about Nagasaki is probably the exchange between this city and Vietnam from hundreds of years ago. 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the official establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, but the history of exchange between Nagasaki and Vietnam began 400 years ago with the Goshinjin trade. Thanks to the Goshinjin trade, many Nagasaki merchants such as Araki Sotaro came to Vietnam to trade. To this day, the exchange between Nagasaki and Vietnam is still maintained.

If you are lucky enough to come to Nagasaki in early October every year, you will have the opportunity to attend the extremely vibrant and bustling Nagasaki Kunchi festival. On the Goshuin ship of Motoshikkui-machi ward, the performance reenacting the Nagasaki merchant - Araki Sotaro welcoming Princess Ngoc Hoa is always loved and anticipated by the people of Nagasaki. According to the people of Nagasaki, this festival has existed since 1634 and in 1965, the performance about merchant Araki Sotaro and Princess Ngoc Hoa began.

Sharing with VOV.VN reporter, Mr. Koizuka Kenichiro, 65 years old, a member of the organizing committee of Motoshikkui-machi ward, said that everyone is practicing hard in the last 3 months before performing in the festival in October. The two main characters on the boat, a boy and a girl about 9 years old, were selected early and have been practicing since June.

"Usually, the boat is repaired every 7 years, but due to Covid-19, it has not been done for the past 3 years. So 10 years have passed, this time it took us longer to repair, until early July to practice until September. The boat is about 5 tons, it takes 18 young and strong men to carry it," Mr. Koizuka Kenichiro excitedly said.

According to Mr. Koizuka Kenichiro, the Indian ship owners in general and the merchant Araki Sotaro in particular contributed to promoting trade, bringing the life of local people to develop to this day. Therefore, the respect for Mr. Araki Sotaro as well as his wife, Princess Ngoc Hoa, is still maintained by the people in festivals and in life.

"This year, our ward has 70 people participating in organizing the festival. Maybe about 1 million people will attend this year's festival, both locals and tourists. Everyone is looking forward to it because it has not been organized for 3 years, and this festival, along with the Mid-Autumn Festival, are the two most important festivals of the year," said Mr. Koizuka Kenichiro.

Leaving Motoshikkui-machi, we went to the graves of merchant Araki Sotaro and Princess Ngoc Hoa located in the back garden of Daion-ji Temple (Great Sound Temple), on a shady hill in Kajiya-machi, Nagasaki City. With a history dating back to 1614, Daion-ji is one of the three largest temples in Nagasaki, and is also on the Buddhist pilgrimage route in the Kyushu region.

Arriving at Daion-ji Temple, the manager said that at first she was surprised by the many Vietnamese people who came to learn about the temple and the grave of Araki Sotaro and his wife. Later, after being asked many times, a map with clear markings and directions was prepared, making it easy for visitors from Vietnam to visit the grave. At the grave of merchant Araki Sotaro, a sign in many languages, including Vietnamese, said that the grave was considered a historical site, with the content mentioning that merchant Araki married a royal daughter in Vietnam and was affectionately called Anio by the people of Nagasaki.

According to local guides, in 1674, a mausoleum dedicated to the shoguns was built in Daion-ji Temple, but it was later burned down in 1959 after a fire. In addition to the tomb of the Araki Sotaro family, the cemetery behind Daion-ji Temple is the resting place of many famous people and cultural figures who lived in Nagasaki, such as Matsudaira Zushonokami. From this hill, visitors can see the whole city of Nagasaki and the famous port.

The next destination in the tour to explore the history of Vietnam - Japan trade is the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture. This place preserves two items associated with Princess Ngoc Hoa, the mirror she brought from Vietnam to Nagasaki and a translation of the letter from Lord Nguyen. However, because of their special value and meaning, these two items can be brought to other museums for display, so if you cannot see them with your own eyes, you can learn about them in the storage system at the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture.

In addition to the artifacts of Princess Ngoc Hoa, this museum also has many documents about the history of the golden age of the Nagasaki trading port when Japan promoted trade with the world, including Vietnam. In the ancient town of Hoi An in Vietnam, the mark of Japanese merchants crossing the sea by boat to trade more than 400 years ago is still present through many relics such as the Japanese bridge, Japanese tombs...

According to Mr. Yoshida Kyosuke (International Tourism Development Office, Nagasaki Prefecture), in 2017, the government and people of Nagasaki jointly implemented the "Goshuin-sen project", after which a large-sized replica of the Goshuin-sen was donated to Vietnam. This replica of the Goshuin-sen is currently on display in Hoi An ancient town. In September 2023, the play "Princess Anio" based on the story of merchant Araki Sotaro and Princess Ngoc Hoa will be performed in both countries, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

In addition to its history of exchange with Vietnam, Nagasaki also traded with many other countries, and thanks to that, cultural diversity has taken root in life here. In the center of Nagasaki city, visitors can encounter interesting cultural exchanges, such as bustling Chinese neighborhoods or magnificent Catholic churches. A late afternoon stroll in Nagasaki can easily remind people of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, when feeling the wind blowing from the bay while watching the trams running on the street, listening to a soulful English song somewhere... For the perfect experience in Nagasaki, choose dinner at a Chinese restaurant and stay at a European-style hotel.

Outside the capital, Nagasaki Prefecture also has many other attractions such as Japan's largest amusement park Huis Ten Bosch (Sasebo City), the area around Nagasaki Station where the Nishi Kyushu Shinkansen line runs through with newly renovated bustling commercial buildings.

"Vietnamese people also love flowers. In Nagasaki province, there are many famous flower viewing spots such as cherry blossoms in Omura Park (Omura City) or wisteria flowers in Fujiyama Shrine (Sasebo City). Visitors can experience not only history, culture but also nature and the four seasons in Nagasaki," said Mr. Yoshida Kyosuke.

According to VOV