4 'touch points' for Japanese enterprises to cooperate closely with Vietnam

(Chinhphu.vn) - More than 60% of Japanese enterprises operating in Vietnam plan to expand in the next 1-2 years; about 50.9% of enterprises want to increase purchasing of products and services in Vietnam - strong signals about the reliability of Vietnam's supply chain and digital human resources.

Overview of the 12th Vietnam Information Technology Day 2025

The 12th Vietnam IT Day 2025 recently took place in Japan, attracting more than 200 delegates from more than 150 Japanese enterprises and 12 Vietnamese enterprises.

The event was organized by the Vietnam Software and IT Services Association (Vinasa) under the auspices of the Ministry of Science and Technology and in coordination with the Japan Information Industry Association (JISA), the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the Vietnam-Japan IT Cooperation Committee (VJC), and the Vietnam Digital Transformation Association in Japan (VADX).

4 “touch points” for Japanese enterprises to cooperate closely with Vietnam

In the context of many fluctuations in the world, Vietnam-Japan economic relations still maintain a solid foundation. Bilateral trade turnover reached 46.23 billion USD in 2024, recovering after a period of adjustment. Japan is also one of the major investors in Vietnam, with more than 5,557 projects and a total registered capital of 78.6 billion USD as of March 2025.

JETRO's survey shows that more than 60% of Japanese enterprises operating in Vietnam plan to expand in the next 1-2 years; about 50.9% of enterprises want to increase purchasing of products and services in Vietnam - strong signals about the reliability of Vietnam's supply chain and digital human resources.

In terms of structure and quality of technology cooperation, Vietnamese enterprises have gone beyond the traditional outsourcing model. Vietnamese enterprises currently account for about 6-7% of the market share of the software development outsourcing market in Japan (scale >30 billion USD/year), maintain a growth rate of 20-40%/year and participate in the entire product life cycle: from R&D, system architecture, to modernization implementation (cloud, AI, blockchain, XR...).

To date, Vietnam has become the second largest important partner in software development of Japan and is the preferred choice of Japanese enterprises in the IT sector. Currently, there are more than 300 Vietnamese IT enterprises established and providing products and services to this market. Of these, more than 100 enterprises currently have offices in Japan.

Japan is one of the major investors in Vietnam.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Bui Hoang Phuong, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology of Vietnam, shared 4 "touch points" where Japanese enterprises can cooperate more closely with Vietnamese partners.

Firstly, expanding strategic cooperation with Vietnamese enterprises in software, digital technology services, digital transformation and development of new technology products.

Second, strengthen joint R&D, jointly invest in laboratories and centers in Vietnam and Japan in strategic technology fields, especially digital technologies such as AI and semiconductors.

Third, promote open innovation, creating conditions for Vietnamese startups and creative enterprises to participate in supply chains, incubators, and pilot projects in Japan (healthcare, smart cities, logistics, etc.).

Fourth, support training and human resource exchange.

3 initiatives to create the digital future

Sharing the same view, Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa, Chairman of Vinasa, also emphasized that Vietnamese enterprises are not only “ready” but are implementing the most complex digital transformation and artificial intelligence solutions. The capacity of Vietnamese enterprises has been proven through large-scale projects, helping to modernize systems for leading corporations in the fields of finance, retail, and logistics in Japan.

Mr. Nguyen Van Khoa, Chairman of Vinasa, spoke at the 12th Vietnam IT Day 2025

To realize the vision of "Co-creating the digital future", Mr. Khoa proposed 3 initiatives to the Vietnamese - Japanese ICT business community.

The "Vietnam - Japan Digital Innovation Hubs" initiative, with Vinasa and VADX as the focal points, will coordinate with JISA and JETRO to form joint innovation centers. These centers will not only be R&D centers, but also places where businesses from both countries will research, develop and commercialize "Made by Vietnam-Japan" technology products for key industries such as automobile manufacturing, finance and healthcare.

The "Alliance to Conquer the Global Market" initiative - where Vietnamese and Japanese businesses with complementary strengths can build solutions and bid for digital transformation projects in third markets such as ASEAN, the United States and Europe.

Under the "New Generation Technology Talent Incubator" initiative, Vinasa will cooperate with leading universities in Vietnam and Japanese technology corporations to build specialized training programs, "tailored" for strategic areas such as semiconductor design, AI in manufacturing and green technology, ensuring a high-quality and sustainable human resource for future cooperation.

Vietnam’s IT industry currently has more than 500,000 engineers, training about 70,000 new engineers each year, of which 6,000 engineers are working directly in Japan. Universities and research institutes have become centers for training digital human resources, cooperating with dozens of Japanese partners in exchange, internship and research programs.

The growing size of the team helps Vietnamese businesses have the capacity to take on the most complex projects, from financial and banking system maintenance to migration and AI projects requiring tens of thousands of man-hours.

Vietnam is an important partner

Mr. Ishida Eiji, Head of the International Digital Infrastructure Promotion Division, Global Strategy Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan (MIC), emphasized that Japan is implementing the DX & Innovation 2030 strategy with a focus on AI, cybersecurity, quantum data, next-generation data centers and All-Photonics Network (APN). These are key digital infrastructure pillars to enhance competitiveness and ensure national security. And Vietnam is an important partner, capable of accompanying Japan in developing digital infrastructure and digital human resources for the entire region.

Mr. Junya Kawamoto, Chairman of the JISA International Cooperation Committee, also acknowledged that to turn opportunities into reality, it is necessary to cooperate more deeply with strategic partners such as Vietnam, a country that is emerging strongly with technological capacity, young human resources and a spirit of innovation.

Vietnam Information Technology Day 2025 includes 3 main activities, including a workshop with 14 speakers and more than 200 delegates; Business Matching with more than 100 arranged meetings, each business meets more than 10 partners and an exhibition introducing 11 Vietnamese businesses.

HM

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/4-diem-cham-de-doanh-nghiep-nhat-ban-hop-tac-chat-che-voi-viet-nam-102250828194158807.htm