Social media group in Hanoi Nichietsu Kakehashi resumes gatherings – Participants enjoy takoyaki
Cultural exchange Takoyaki party
Hanoi-based Facebook group Nichietsu Kakehashi (which means the communication bridge between Japan and Vietnam in Japanese) resumed offline gatherings in November.
The group started in July 2020. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh who is a host of Nichietsu Kouryukai (Nam Tu Liem district) and Masayuki Tsuchihashi are co-founders of this group and say “We would like to deepen ties between Japan and Vietnam.” Participants of the group post news and events related to Japan and Vietnam.
They also host cultural exchange events occasionally. Major themes were; Speech competitions in Japanese and Vietnamese; How to improve communication skills in Japanese and Vietnamese; and Sharing experiences in job seeking and interviews. During the pandemic period, sessions of online workshops were also increased as well.
The group could not hold gatherings due to the pandemic but finally had a cultural exchange takoyaki party on November 14. 25 participants enjoyed Japanese Takoyaki and Vietnamese cuisine Banh Ran that is similar to Takoyaki. Tsuchihashi says “Banh Ran is small bread that contains eggs and meat inside. It is actually a bit harder than Takoyaki. Since Vietnamese cuisine does not have something soft, fluffy, and hot, I wonder eating Takoyaki was a new experience for Vietnamese participants.”
Tsuchihashi adds “We plan to have gatherings in the future as well. Our group offers occasions that participants know more about Japan and Vietnam besides at work. ”