Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van delivers the opening speech at the Plenary Session of the Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum. (Photo: Thanh Long)

One of the most prominent highlights

In his opening speech at the Plenary Session, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Le Van provided an overview of the local cooperation landscape between the two countries. He emphasized that within Vietnam's overall foreign policy, local diplomacy holds a particularly important position.

As one of the pillars of comprehensive diplomacy, provinces and cities are where foreign policies are directly implemented, where international commitments are translated into projects, investments, export markets, cultural and educational activities, and people-to-people exchanges, bringing tangible benefits to citizens and businesses.

According to Deputy Minister Van, in the network of relationships between Vietnamese localities and the international community, cooperation with Japan stands out as one of the most prominent highlights in terms of scale, depth, and sustainability. To date, the two countries have signed over 110 cooperation agreements between localities, spanning the North, Central, and South regions. This is one of the largest local connection networks that Vietnam has with any country worldwide.

Japanese businesses have established a presence in most of Vietnam's key economic and industrial zones, from Hai Phong, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, to Thanh Hoa, Ho Chi Minh City, and many provinces in the Central region. These investments contribute to restructuring production, creating jobs, enhancing management skills, expanding supply chains, developing technology, and boosting competitiveness for localities.

Many localities such as Lam Dong, Son La, Hai Phong, Dong Thap, An Giang, and Can Tho are adopting green agriculture, circular agriculture, and high-tech agriculture models according to Japanese standards, such as using artificial intelligence (AI) and sensors for monitoring, applying Big Data for traceability, using biotechnology in harvesting, and developing carbon emission reduction processes. These innovations not only bring economic value but also help form a modern production culture that meets Japanese and international market standards.

Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese workers have gone to Japan under internship and specific skill programs. Upon returning, they become the core workforce in local industries, directly contributing to improving human resource quality.

More than 630,000 Vietnamese people living in Japan serve as cultural bridges and are an important force in promoting trade, tourism, and investment. Many provinces and cities in Vietnam and Japan organize cultural weeks, youth programs, and bilateral festivals, creating a sustainable and long-lasting social foundation for the relationship between the two countries.

Japan is supporting many Vietnamese localities in building digital government, digital economy, digital society, administrative reform, urban management, disaster prevention, and climate change adaptation. These are all areas that have a direct impact on the welfare and lives of the people.

Overview of the plenary session of the Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Five major cooperation directions

In the context of rapidly evolving and complex global and regional situations, Deputy Foreign Minister Van stated that strengthening and expanding local cooperation holds particularly strategic significance. With the spirit of "Harmonized Interests, Shared Risks", working together, benefiting together, winning together, and developing together, the Deputy Foreign Minister proposed five major directions:

First: Strengthening political trust and connections between localities. This involves promoting delegation exchanges, cultural exchanges, youth and business connections; expanding annual events to foster affection, understanding, and trust between the peoples of the two countries.

Second: Enhancing institutional, infrastructure, and human connectivity. Vietnamese localities should proactively improve institutions, enhance competitiveness, improve the Provincial Competitiveness Index, the Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index, build digital government, digital economy, digital society in localities, and attract high-quality investment from Japan.

Third: Improving the quality of human resources. Promoting vocational training cooperation, technology transfer, innovation, and entrepreneurship; inviting Japanese experts to work and advise; supporting Vietnamese workers in Japan to improve their skills; encouraging Japanese educational institutions to open branches in Vietnam.

Fourth: Expanding cooperation in non-traditional security fields. This includes disaster prevention, water resource management, climate change response, and healthcare. These are issues that no locality or country can solve alone.

Fifth: Promoting the proactive and creative role of localities. The Vietnamese government will continue to promote decentralization and delegation; localities need to actively and proactively prepare all conditions regarding planning, land funds, human resources, institutions, and machinery to seize new cooperation opportunities.

Deputy Foreign Minister Van emphasized that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is committed to accompanying, supporting, and creating the most favorable conditions for local cooperation between the two countries to continue to develop substantively and effectively, bringing tangible benefits to people and businesses.

"Vietnam-Japan relations are currently at their best stage, and the potential for local cooperation is immense. I believe that with high political determination and the spirit of joint action, we will continue to elevate Vietnam-Japan local cooperation to new heights, contributing positively to the peace and prosperity of the region," Deputy Foreign Minister Ngo Le Van concluded.

Governor of Gunma Prefecture, Mr. Yamamoto Ichita, speaks at the Forum. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Fostering 'bonds of friendship'

Within the framework of the Forum, many representatives from Japanese provinces shared about their cooperation with Vietnam. Notably, Governor of Gunma Prefecture, Mr. Yamamoto Ichita, shared many "bonds of friendship" with Vietnam and the potential for cooperation between Gunma and Vietnamese localities.

Mr. Yamamoto stated that Gunma is currently one of the fastest-growing localities in Japan and is among the most desirable provinces for Japanese citizens to live in. Located just about 50 minutes from Tokyo, Gunma offers a safe living environment with some of the lowest disaster-related damages in Japan, creating favorable conditions for socio-economic development and attracting human resources.

Governor Yamamoto emphasized that Gunma is a leading province in local diplomacy, actively expanding cooperation with Vietnam over the years. He mentioned having visited Vietnam multiple times to work directly and "each visit brings very practical cooperation results".

This is the fifth time he has met with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and each visit to Vietnam allows him to engage with leaders from various ministries, sectors, and localities, thereby building trust and promoting new cooperation initiatives.

Last month, Gunma signed a cooperation agreement with Ninh Binh Province, marking a new step in local exchanges. Governor Yamamoto expressed his desire to continue expanding friendly relations with more Vietnamese localities, aiming for cooperative projects that bring tangible benefits to both sides.

Gunma currently has 16,000 Vietnamese residents living, studying, and working there – one of the largest Vietnamese communities in Japan. Annually, the province hosts the Gunma Festival during Vietnam's Lunar New Year, attracting a large number of Vietnamese and Japanese participants. The Governor mentioned that he always participates directly and even performs Vietnamese songs such as Tet Ve Den Que Em (Coming to your homeland at the Lunar New Year) and Tet Tet Tet Den Roi (Lunar New Year is coming) with the community, singing and playing guitar, showing his special affection for Vietnam.

Governor Yamamoto affirmed that Vietnam "is always an important partner of Gunma" and that continuing to promote links between the two sides will contribute to the overall development of Vietnam-Japan relations in the new phase.

Vice Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture Ishidera expressed a desire to continue expanding cooperation with Vietnamese localities in the fields of economy, agriculture, high technology, and clean energy – areas where both sides have significant potential to complement each other. (Photo: Thanh Long)

Sharing a similar view on the potential for cooperation between the localities of the two countries, Vice Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture, Mr. Ishidera Junichi, shared many successful cooperation stories with Vietnam. Vice Governor Ishidera highlighted the unique advantages that make Yamanashi one of the most dynamic and creative localities in Japan. Located near Tokyo, home to Mount Fuji – a World Heritage site, with convenient transportation, Yamanashi is not only a famous tourist destination but also a center for high-tech development.

Mr. Ishidera stated that Yamanashi currently hosts many small and medium-sized enterprises with strengths in robotics, semiconductor technology, and automation, forming the province's advanced industrial foundation. Additionally, Yamanashi is known as the "fruit kingdom of Japan", especially famous for its renowned grape varieties and wine production, which have won international awards multiple times. "We have created world-leading technologies to develop high-quality agriculture," the Vice Governor emphasized.

Yamanashi is also a pioneer in building a carbon-free society and developing clean energy sources. The province is implementing an on-site green hydrogen production model, an initiative that has attracted significant international attention. Next year, Yamanashi plans to host a Green Hydrogen Summit, aiming to become a model for future energy in Japan.

In terms of local cooperation, Yamanashi maintains a sister relationship with Quang Tri Province and economic exchanges with Lao Cai Province. People-to-people exchanges between the two sides are also actively implemented, contributing to increased understanding and community bonding. Vice Governor Ishidera highly appreciates the contributions of the Vietnamese community in Yamanashi to the local socio-economic development.

He noted that Japan's foreign labor acceptance mechanism is increasingly expanding, and Yamanashi Province is always striving to improve the working environment, provide detailed support, and ensure insurance regimes so that Vietnamese workers can live and contribute with peace of mind.

The Vice Governor affirmed that Yamanashi wishes to continue expanding cooperation with Vietnamese localities in the fields of economy, agriculture, high technology, and clean energy – areas where both sides have significant potential to complement each other.

Having been closely associated with Vietnam for many years, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance, Mr. Takebe Tsutomu, shared many memories of local cooperation between the two countries, including Quang Ninh. He believes that Japanese localities and businesses can learn from Japan's development experiences, including both advantages and challenges.

Japan - A leading important partner

Within the framework of the Forum, leaders from several Vietnamese provinces and cities also shared the potentials and strengths of Vietnamese localities and suggestions for efforts to cooperate with Japanese localities and businesses; including Chairman of Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee Tran Duy Dong; Vice Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tuan Anh; Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee Le Trung Kien.

With a favourable geographical location, modern transportation infrastructure, abundant human resources, and a transparent and open investment environment, Chairman of Phu Tho Provincial People's Committee Tran Duy Dong emphasized that Phu Tho has affirmed its role as an "industrial bridge" between the Northern Midlands and Mountains region and the economic growth triangle of Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh. These advantages are becoming key factors attracting more and more FDI enterprises, especially Japanese businesses, to invest in the province.

Vice Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tuan Anh introduces many strengths of the province at the Forum. (Photo: Thanh Long)

After the merger, Phu Tho became a regional linkage center in the Northwest of the Capital, near Noi Bai International Airport, facilitating domestic and international trade connections. The diverse transportation infrastructure system includes the Noi Bai - Lao Cai Expressway, Hanoi - Thai Nguyen Expressway, National Highways 2, 2B, 32C, and the Hanoi - Lao Cai railway, enabling businesses to easily participate in production, logistics, and product consumption chains.

With the motto "Accompany - Develop - Prosper", Phu Tho is building a transparent, friendly, and efficient investment ecosystem, affirming its position as a top attractive destination for Japanese businesses in the North. The presence of major corporations such as Toyota, Sumitomo, Honda, TOTO... not only demonstrates international investors' trust but also opens prospects for Phu Tho to become a new center for supporting industries and green production in Vietnam, contributing positively to sustainable development goals in the era of deep integration.

Sharing at the Forum, Vice Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Tuan Anh introduced many strengths of the province, such as convenient transportation infrastructure like Quy Nhon Port, My Thuy, Pleiku - Quy Nhon Expressway, Pleiku - Da Nang, North-South connecting expressways, Le Thanh International Border Gate.

In recent times, cooperation between Gia Lai Province and Japanese partners has seen strong and comprehensive development across many fields. Youth exchange and linkage programs between Gia Lai Province and Japanese partners are regularly implemented. Notably, the cherry blossom planting project in cooperation with Yoshino Town is yielding positive results.

To further promote strong cooperation with Japanese partners in the future, Mr. Nguyen Tuan Anh proposed: Enhancing investment, trade, and tourism promotion activities in Japan to introduce the province's potentials and strengths to Japanese investors and businesses; promoting cooperation in human resource training, especially in Japanese language and vocational skills, to meet the needs of Japanese businesses; continuing to leverage ODA and other preferential loans from Japan to invest in infrastructure, healthcare, education, and environmental protection; promoting cultural and people-to-people exchanges to create mutual understanding and trust, laying the foundation for sustainable cooperation.

Vice Chairman of Hai Phong City People's Committee Le Trung Kien speaks at the Forum. (Photo: Thanh Long)

For Hai Phong City, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Le Trung Kien, Japanese large enterprises have contributed to the socio-economic development of Hai Phong, making it the only locality with GRDP growth above 10% over the past decade.

To continue promoting deeper and more effective cooperation between Hai Phong and Japanese partners, Mr. Le Trung Kien proposed several cooperation directions for the future: Continuing to promote economic, trade, and investment cooperation as the main pillar of the partnership; enhancing cooperation in developing high-quality human resources; expanding cooperation in culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges; promoting local-level cooperation.

Hai Phong wishes to establish friendly cooperative relations with Japanese localities that have similarities to share experiences and support each other in development; enhancing cooperation in environmental protection, climate change response, and sustainable development.