Visitors at Vietnam's kiosk at the bazaar (Photo: VNA)
The event was participated in by women’s associations under embassies of member countries of ALFS, including the women’s association of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms. Haruko Komura, Head of the organizing board, said this annual activity in order to collect money for charitable and relief activities and support women and children in member countries of ALFS.
The Vietnamese Embassy’s women’s association has two kiosks, displaying traditional art handicraft products such as silk, gemstone paintings, silk paintings and products from pearl, and introducing traditional cuisine of Vietnam. Like at the previous bazaar, Vietnam’s kiosk attracts the attention of many visitors.
Ms. Hoang Thi Minh Ha, spouse of the Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan, said that the sum of VND200 million, allocated to the Vietnamese Embassy’s women’s association by ALFS after the bazaar in 2017, was used to buy breeding cows to help poor families and Orange Agent/Dioxin victims in difficult circumstance in Quang Nam province and build water filtration systems for two primary schools in Ha Tinh province.
According to her, the sum of money is not much but it partly supports people facing difficulties in life. The proceeds from this bazaar will continue to be used to support poor children in regions facing difficulty.
Mrs. Ha said that the ALFS’s bazaar is a traditional activity which has been organized for many years and received special support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Royal family of Japan and many embassies in Tokyo. It is a large people’s diplomacy activity, contributing to promoting images of the lan and people of Vietnam to international friends.
ALFS now has about 400 members, who are mainly spouses of politicians and leaders of big businesses in Japan, female ambassadors and spouses of ambassadors and female staff from 25 embassies in Asia-Pacific region in Tokyo./.