BOOK CAMP #2: INTEGRATION OR ASSIMILATION?

On July 19, 2026, Book Camp #2 was held at the Kakamigahara City Comprehensive Sports Park Campground (各務原市総合運動公園キャンプ場), bringing children and families a summer afternoon filled with books, games, cultural experiences, and joyful moments of connection.

Vietnamese children born or raised in Japan will, day by day, integrate into the language, schools, and society of the place where they live. Alongside that, the Association hopes to create more opportunities for them to encounter the Vietnamese language, Vietnamese books, and Vietnamese culture — to understand more about their roots and to have one more thread connecting them to their parents’ homeland.

In that spirit, Book Camp #2 combined reading and sharing reflections with many fun outdoor activities such as sack races, blindfolded water-balloon smashing, carrying water to the finish line, and other summer games. The children also got to experience making cơm lam (bamboo-tube rice) together, and took part in a campfire, a circle for sharing feelings, and reading at the mini Vietnamese library.

📚 Book Camp is not just a reading session or outdoor playtime. It is also a small but persistent effort to create a space where Vietnamese children in Japan can grow up and integrate into Japanese society while still maintaining closeness to the language and culture of their families.

The Association believes that preserving one’s identity does not mean creating distance from the host society. On the contrary, when they understand who they are and learn to cherish both cultures, children will gain an even stronger foundation to confidently connect with the community and the world around them.

💐 The Book Camp project is funded by the Japan Philanthropic Foundation (公益財団法人日本フィランソロピック財団).

Our sincere thanks to the funder, the parents, our companions, and especially the children who together created a Book Camp #2 full of laughter and beautiful memories of the summer of 2026.

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