Cherry blossom festival to open in Hanoi

The Japan Sakura Festival, the second of its kind, will showcase three large cherry blossom trees that are made of 300 cherry blossom branches from Japan, 300 carp lanterns and 150 Japanese landscape paintings.

Short films on contemporary Japan presented through the eyes of Vietnamese students will also be shown during the festival.

Festival organisers, the Vietnam-Japan Cultural Association and the Japan-Vietnam Cultural Association, say the festival first took place in Vietnam last year and attracted around 10,000 visitors.