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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh held a dialogue with Japanese businesses on August 12. (Source: Nhan Dan) |
In recent years, Vietnamese localities have made significant changes with innovative thinking in the new era. How does the Ambassador assess the potential for cooperation between Japan and Vietnamese localities in the overall bilateral relationship?
Two years ago, in November 2023, Japan-Vietnam relations were upgraded to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World” (CSP).
In April this year, during his visit to Vietnam, Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru affirmed to General Secretary To Lam , Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Vietnamese leaders that Japan fully supports the reform orientation that Vietnam is implementing for the "new era", and emphasized that Japan will continue to be an irreplaceable partner in that development process.
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| Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki. (Source: VGP) |
Recently, during the meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia within the framework of the 47th ASEAN Summit on October 26, the two sides also agreed to further promote bilateral cooperation within the framework of the CSP.
The reforms being implemented under the leadership of General Secretary To Lam are a good opportunity to deepen the Japan-Vietnam economic partnership. The achievements in administrative procedure reform have begun to show results. Together with strong decentralization to localities, simplification of administrative procedures and effective use of ODA capital, the investment environment in Vietnam will be significantly improved, opening up many new opportunities for Japanese enterprises.
To continue sustainable growth, local economic development plays a key role in diversifying the national economy and narrowing regional income gaps. Increasing investment and developing human resources at the local level is now becoming extremely urgent.
At the Japan-Vietnam Local Cooperation Forum scheduled to be held in Quang Ninh province on November 24-25, the two countries will review the results achieved in local cooperation and discuss orientations for the coming period. The forum, with the participation of 16 Japanese localities and 30 Vietnamese localities, promises to be a valuable opportunity to connect the needs and strengths of Vietnamese localities with Japanese capital and enterprises, contributing to promoting local cooperation between the two sides.
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| Japan signed a contract to fund the Vietnam National Innovation Center with VND51 billion in non-refundable ODA capital on February 27, 2025. (Source: Nhan Dan) |
How does the Ambassador assess the attractiveness of Vietnamese localities to Japanese enterprises in recent years?
Since the 1990s, Japanese enterprises have invested heavily in industrial parks in the suburbs of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, typically Thang Long Industrial Park and industrial parks in Binh Duong province. In recent years, the Central region, the Red River Delta and the Mekong Delta have emerged as new potential investment destinations.
Typically, Sumitomo Group is preparing to develop a new industrial park in Thanh Hoa province, inheriting the successful experience from the Thang Long project. In October this year, AEON Vietnam also opened a large commercial center in Tay Ninh province - the gateway to the Mekong Delta after 7 large-scale projects in many other provinces and cities; at the same time, there are plans to open more in Dong Thap, Can Tho and Hai Phong.
Last August, in Can Tho city, responding to the call of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, the investment promotion conference "Meeting Japan - Mekong Delta Region" was held with the participation of the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Union led by Chairwoman Obuchi Yuko, about 70 Japanese enterprises, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung and leaders of the Mekong Delta provinces, up to more than 300 delegates. Currently, Can Tho has 13 projects of Japanese enterprises, with a total investment capital of about 1.6 billion USD. The conference has created new momentum in attracting investment to the region and supporting the development of local enterprises.
More and more Japanese enterprises are interested in urban centers outside the two major cities, considering them as potential investment locations. Japan hopes that expanding and diversifying investment destinations will contribute to promoting the potential of localities and promoting economic development for Vietnam.
It is known that Japan is actively promoting cooperation with Vietnam in areas such as green transformation, infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI). Could the Ambassador share specific cooperation plans with Vietnamese localities in these areas?
The fields of green transformation (GX), digital transformation (DX), infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) are the keys to Vietnam's economic leap forward. Japan will continue to actively cooperate, as localities still have great potential to invest in new projects and life is increasingly improved. Especially in the context of decentralization to localities being promoted, local provinces and cities become important partners in implementing cooperation projects.
In the energy and GX sectors, under the Asia Net Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) initiative, the two countries are promoting 15 investment projects worth about 20 billion USD, including renewable energy such as offshore wind power and LNG power plants. Many Japanese companies are expected to participate in gas and LNG power plant projects under construction in Khanh Hoa, Hung Yen, Hai Phong and Can Tho.
In addition, Japan is considering providing a program loan of over 300 million USD for the field of climate change and GX, expected this year. This loan will support the enhancement of the green growth model in the Mekong Delta, promote high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation, promote waste management through digital transformation according to the circular economy model, and improve disaster prevention capacity in the face of increasingly extreme storms and floods due to climate change. Japan hopes to promote cooperation between state agencies, businesses, and universities of the two countries in these projects, thereby enhancing resilience and green development in local urban areas in Vietnam.
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| AEON Vietnam Co., Ltd. held the Inauguration Ceremony of AEON Tan An, Tay Ninh Province - the 8th shopping mall of AEON Group in Vietnam on October 4, 2025. (Source: Thanh Nien) |
What are your expectations for Vietnam's economic development in the coming time as well as the contributions of localities in this effort?
I am confident that under the reform leadership of General Secretary To Lam, Vietnam's economy will grow even faster. A strong local economy is the driving force for national development.
Over the past 30 years, Japan has supported Vietnam through ODA, helping to build key economic and social infrastructure, including local infrastructure, creating a foundation for Japanese enterprises to invest and cooperate in business in Vietnam. In the coming time, to enhance the resilience of localities affected by climate change, Japan will continue to support the provision of basic infrastructure such as building a sluice system to prevent saline intrusion due to high tides for agricultural products in the Mekong Delta, or developing transport and irrigation infrastructure in 4 northeastern provinces and 5 northwestern mountainous provinces.
Localities in Vietnam have their own unique values different from urban areas, not only in terms of economy but also in terms of resources, culture, nature, cuisine and art. For example, Da Nang is implementing the International Financial Center Project with its own mark, focusing on digital finance and green finance, combined with universities in human resource training - a creative direction different from traditional financial centers. We expect Da Nang to develop into a global financial center, coordinating with Ho Chi Minh City to promote the Vietnamese financial network.
The recognition of the Yen Tu – Vinh Nghiem – Con Son – Kiep Bac Monuments and Landscape Complex by UNESCO as Vietnam’s 9th World Heritage Site in July this year is also an important step forward in promoting the value and attractiveness of Vietnamese localities to the world.
The close connection between localities contributes to making people-to-people exchanges between the two countries more vibrant and diverse. In 2024, 710,000 Japanese people visited Vietnam and 620,000 Vietnamese people visited Japan. The two sides aim to reach over 2 million visitors by 2030. The number of Vietnamese people in Japan has increased by more than 500,000 in the past 10 years and we will continue to create favorable conditions for Japan to become an attractive destination for Vietnamese students and workers. I expect that together with the community of more than 1 million Vietnamese people in Japan, the two countries will reach the "triple digits of 1 million".
Thank you very much, Ambassador!
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/nhat-ban-dong-hanh-trong-tien-trinh-phat-trien-cua-viet-nam-335452.html
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