Japanese Crown Prince, Crown Princess watch new opera commemorating diplomatic ties

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko watched a new opera at the Hanoi Opera House on September 22 evening as part of their official visit to Vietnam.

The opera “Princess Anio”, which recounts a 17th century love story between a Vietnamese princess and a Japanese merchant, was performed to mark the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties.

The story involves Araki Sotaro, a Red Seal ship trader who lived from the Azuchi Momoyama period to the Edo period. He traveled from Nagasaki to Dang Trong in central Vietnam, gaining the trust of King Nguyen Phuc Nguyen of Dang Trong and marrying his daughter, Princess Ngoc Hoa.

Sotaro brought Princess Ngoc Hoa to Nagasaki as his wife, with the princess becoming known to the people of Nagasaki as Anio-san, spending the rest of her life there.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries, the opera stands as a symbol of future diplomacy that taps into the ancient history of friendship and mutual respect between the two countries.

Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko arrived in Hanoi on September 20 afternoon for the official visit to Vietnam on the occasion of the 50th founding anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations (1973-2023).

The visit is hoped to contribute to further deepening the friendship between the Vietnamese and Japanese people as well as the ties between the two countries./.

VNA