Vietnam Launches Japanese Talent Contest for Children, Fostering Bilateral Exchange

The Vietnam-Japan Cultural and Educational Cooperation Promotion Center (VJCE) officially launched the first Vietnam Children's Japanese Talent Contest "J-KIDS 2026" in Hanoi on September 7th, under the theme "Japanese Opens the Door to the Future." The contest aims to provide an educational, linguistic, and cultural playground for Vietnamese children aged 5 to 15. It seeks to discover, encourage, and nurture children with talent and passion for the Japanese language, thereby contributing to the promotion of cultural and educational exchange between Vietnam and Japan. Mr. Nguyen Dang Hoang, Consul in charge of the community at the Vietnamese Consulate General in Osaka, Japan, highly praised the significance of the contest, stating it is a suitable platform for students to test and evaluate their Japanese language abilities. He noted that the competition not only motivates students to learn and practice foreign languages but also contributes to making Japanese language teaching and learning more active, practical, and effective in Vietnamese schools. Mr. Hoang also added that the contest concretizes the common directions of the governments of both countries in promoting people-to-people exchange, strengthening educational cooperation, and building a solid social foundation for the increasingly long-term development of Vietnam-Japan relations. Representing the Organizing Committee, Mr. Le Thuong, Chairman of the Kansai Vietnamese Association and Director of VJCE, stated that J-KIDS 2026 is expected to become an annual event, helping Vietnamese children confidently use Japanese, develop their creativity, and gradually become a bridge of friendship between the two nations. Beyond selecting top-performing contestants, the competition aims to build a community of Vietnamese children who love Japanese, creating opportunities for them to continue interacting, learning, and developing their abilities after the contest. The competition content is designed to be diverse and suitable for different age groups (Category A: 5-8 years old; Category B: 9-11 years old; Category C: 12-15 years old) and contestant abilities. This includes public speaking, storytelling, singing in Japanese, acting, role-playing, introducing one's homeland and country, introducing Japanese culture, drawing pictures on the Vietnam-Japan theme combined with presentations, self-introduction videos, and artistic performances using the Japanese language. Through the competition, the Organizing Committee will evaluate not only language proficiency but also communication skills, creative thinking, presentation skills, stage presence, confidence, and understanding of the cultures of both countries. According to the plan, J-KIDS 2026 will be held through preliminary rounds, selection, and a national final. The preliminary round will receive applications and competition videos from contestants nationwide and from international programs. Contestants can register by sending their applications to [email protected]. A panel of experts will evaluate and select outstanding candidates to participate in subsequent rounds. The national final is expected to be held in person in Hanoi, with the participation of representatives, experts, educators, educational organizations, businesses, and guests from Vietnam and Japan.