HUE, VIETNAM: Japanese Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko spent the last day of their official visit to Vietnam on Saturday visiting the historic palace of the Nguyen dynasty and sites associated with a French colonial period resistance leader.
At the palace in Hue in central Vietnam, the imperial couple was greeted by women dressed in indigenous ao dai gowns and a traditional lion dance performance.
The couple later watched a performance of Nha Nhac music which was once on the brink of disappearing following the collapse of the Nguyen dynasty in 1945. It was registered as part of the World Heritage after the Vietnamese government worked to preserve it with cooperation from Japan and other countries.
The emperor and empress later visited the memorial to Phan Boi Chau, an independence movement leader in the early 1900s when Vietnam was under French occupation. Phan Boi Chau sought aid from Japan and briefly lived there.
The imperial couple will fly to Thailand on Sunday to pay their respects to the late King Bjumibol Adulyadej, and to meet His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. The royal families of Japan and Thailand have traditionally kept close relations.
The emperor and empress are scheduled to return home on Monday.