Further develop Japan - Vietnam friendship in the next 50 years

Mr. Ono Masuo (right), Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Zone project in Long An province, July 2023. (Source: VNA)

The Japan - Vietnam relationship is becoming increasingly multi-layered and mutually complementary. In 2023, we are celebrating 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries, and many commemorative events have been held in Ho Chi Minh City and many other places in Vietnam.

Every time I attend those event, I am deeply moved by the Vietnamese people's warm friendship with Japan and the strong relationship between the two countries in general.

Since officially establishing diplomatic relations in 1973, the path of cooperation between Japan and Vietnam have gone through many ups and downs.

I first came to Vietnam as an intern from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1986 when Vietnam held the 6th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and started the Doi Moi period.

At that time, Vietnam was still poor, but thanks to economic reform and the diversification of foreign relations, in the 1990s, Vietnam gradually attracted foreign investment and developed stably.

Japan's ODA was resumed in 1992. I worked for a term in Ho Chi Minh City in the mid-1990s. That was the first and second boom period of Japanese businesses investing in Vietnam.

This year, after 24 years, I was appointed Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City. The number of Japanese companies investing in Ho Chi Minh City and the southern provinces of Vietnam exceeded 1,000 businesses.

I can feel the strong development of Vietnam when I see Japanese businesses expanding their areas of operation from focusing on production facilities for exporting to increasing their supply.

Products and services for Vietnam's domestic market are growing strongly. The number of Vietnamese people speaking Japanese have also increased significantly.

When I witness many Vietnamese people working as excellent employees and engineers at Japanese businesses, I feel that the relationship between the two countries is becoming increasingly multi-layered and complementary.

Bilateral relations will be further strengthened by increasing exchanges between localities. Many provinces/cities in Southern Vietnam have friendly and cooperative ties with Japanese localities.

Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh's Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen (right) received Japanese Consul General Ono Masuo on May 24, 2023. (Source: VNA)

Except for the period affected by the widespread COVID-19 epidemic, exchange activities continued to expand. Also this year, many delegations of Japan's localities successively visited the southern provinces of Vietnam, such as the Governors of Ehime, Wakayama, and Ibaraki provinces... to enhance exchanges and cooperation in various fields, including reception skilled interns.

Businesses from Japan are interested in expanding investment in Vietnam through increased exchanges between localities. The Consulate General of Japan will continue to actively support the strengthening of relations between localities and, at the same time, promote the image of Japanese localities.

To boost cooperation between localities, the "Meet Japan" programme organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam in provinces and cities, including the southern region of Vietnam, is a practical activity.

The programme aims to introduce the beauty of Vietnamese localities and promote tourism, regional exchanges, and economic relations.

The Consulate General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City also cooperates with the Japanese Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City in the city's Meet Japan program.

The theme of 2023 commemorating the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam is "Vietnam - Japan together - Looking to the future - Reaching the world."

The excellent Japan - Vietnam relationship today results from the efforts of many people who have participated in exchange activities between the two peoples since ancient times.

I look forward to working with you to further develop the friendship and cooperation between Japan and Vietnam in the next 50 years.

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