Governor of the Japanese central prefecture of Gunma Ichita Yamamoto committed all possible support to Vietnamese living and working there ,during a local reception for Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Vu Hong Nam on October 4.

Vietnamese people in Japan attend a technology seminar in Japan (Photo:VNA)

Yamamoto said foreigners and the Vietnamese community in particular have become an important part of the province’s socio-economic development.

Ambassador Nam, for his part, expressed his hope that ties between Vietnamese localities and Gunma will keep growing under his leadership.

He told his host that the Vietnamese embassy in Japan plans to establish a Vietnamese association in Gunma in support of the Vietnamese living in need.

The diplomat lauded Gunma for holding the Gunma – Vietnam exchange festival, thus improving mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries and opening up a new period for ties between Gunma and Vietnamese localities.

As of the late October 2018, there were over 5,900 Vietnamese people living in and working in Gunma, accounting for 0.3 percent of the local population. More than 3,400 of those are trainees, or 41.5 percent of the total foreign ones in Gunma.

The same day in Maebashi, the capital city of Gunma prefecture, the second Gunma – Vietnam exchange festival was held.

Visitors to the event had a chance to enjoy Vietnamese traditional food, play folk games and wear traditional Vietnamese long dress.

Earlier, Ambassador Nam visited Koganei Seiki Co. Ltd in Gunma’s Kitagunma district where about 40 Vietnamese trainees are working.

He also held a working session with Mayor of Gunma’s Tomioka city Yoshinori Enomoto and visited Tomioka silk factory.