Japanese culture festival «Saigon Japanese Festival 2026»

   Plenty of Japanese food, spectacular Yosakoi dancing and sword-fighting performances — a slice of Japan pops up in the middle of Saigon for a weekend. Whether you are part of the city's Japanese community or simply love Japanese food and culture, it is worth dropping by.

   Saigon Japanese Festival 2026 bills itself as a special gathering for the Japanese community living in Ho Chi Minh City and for everyone who loves Japanese culture. It is run by Saigon Outcast, with Capichi, The Nexus and mâmmâm by KOTO also on the poster.

   What's on:

• — a wide variety of Japanese food: vendors include Ramen Sato, founded by a Japanese man who came to Vietnam for work, with a broth of clams, oysters, scallops and chicken, and Gogo Curry with Kanazawa-style curry — a rich, dark sauce with rice, shredded cabbage and pickled radish, served on a stainless-steel plate and eaten with a fork;
• — drinks and sweets: premium matcha imported from Japan at Mikachaa, Soda Its Ice Cream, and Binon Cacao with chocolate made from Vietnamese cacao beans;
• — Yosakoi dances, sword-fighting performances and more;
• — activities and experiences celebrating Japanese culture, shopping areas with Japanese beauty products and local brands, and workshops;
• — an AlphaTheta (Pioneer DJ) zone: a free workshop where you mix electronic music straight from your smartphone, the latest gear to touch and try, a roving DJ set and a silent disco with colourful headphones.

   On stage, day by day:

• — Saturday 3 October: 15:30 Number Shot, 18:00 Sari's Cheer Dance, 18:40 Shin-Kokyu, then DJs D.H.M and Valyria from 19:30 to 22:00;
• — Sunday 4 October: 15:45 Bollywood dance by Nataraja Dance Team, 16:25 a Japanese calligraphy performance with giant brushes by Jun Nishikaze, 17:00 Saigon Brass Band, 17:50 Hem Hem Saigon, then DJs Manabu, The Unkwn and Quang Cuong from 19:10 to 22:00.

   Sunday's live music comes from Saigon Brass Band and Hem Hem Saigon, a Ho Chi Minh City ska/rock band that has played festivals in Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia. The band promises a high-energy ska/rock set that will keep you moving from the first beat to the last, plus the Japanese anime songs everyone loves.

   It suits families, groups of friends and anyone keen to meet Saigon's Japanese community: come for the food, stay for the atmosphere.

   Tickets are sold per day: 50,000 VND online, 90,000 VND at the door; kids get in free.

   A weekend of Japanese spirit in the heart of Saigon is waiting.