We report directly from "The 5th Japan Vietnam Festival in Ho Chi Minh City", Vietnam's largest Japan festival held over 2 days on Saturday, January 27 and Sunday January 28 at the September 23 Park in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1! This big event, with over 220,000 visitors in 2015, is expected to be a major event worthy of kicking off 2018, which marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam! Through the lens of Japanese "food" and "craftsmanship", the Japan-Vietnam exchange event offers the opportunity to experience the full allure of "culture", "tradition", "craft", "products", and "services" all in one place. Furthermore, the huge buzz around cosplay, karaoke, and performances by anime characters has whipped up ever more excitement each year, particularly among the youth. With the addition of the new "Japanese Pop Culture Booth", this year's festival is sure to become the liveliest one yet. What excitement will this year's JVF bring?!