TOKYO — The Việt Nam Bánh Mì (Baguette) Festival 2026 opened at Fun More Time Square in Tokyo on September 26, offering a space for local people and the Vietnamese community to connect through Vietnamese cuisine.

The two-day event is the first festival in Japan to feature Vietnamese bánh mì as its main theme.

Addressing the opening ceremony, Minister-Counsellor of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan Nguyễn Sáu said bánh mì and coffee are two familiar and distinctive Vietnamese specialties that are increasingly popular in Japan and around the world.

He said visitors to the festival could not only enjoy Vietnamese food and drinks but also experience a part of the country’s culture, people and identity.

The diplomat noted that this year’s festival coincides with the Mid-Autumn Festival, providing an opportunity for Vietnamese and Japanese families to join cultural activities together.

He expressed his hope that through activities such as lantern processions, lion dances and mooncake tasting, Japanese children would learn more about Vietnamese culture, while Vietnamese children in Japan would have opportunities to experience and preserve traditional customs from their homeland.​

Despite the rain on the opening day, thousands of visitors came to explore and enjoy Vietnamese cuisine. Many stopped at food stalls to choose bánh mì or hot dishes before continuing to discover other Vietnamese flavours.

The organisers hoped the festival will become an annual event, providing a friendly venue for Japanese people to discover Vietnamese cuisine and for the Vietnamese community to share flavours from their homeland. — VNA/VNS