Vietnam-Japan comprehensive strategic partnership: Closer than ever
WVR - During a press meeting on November 27 marking the two-year anniversary of Japan and Vietnam establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world (CSP), Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki affirmed that within the CSP framework, Vietnam-Japan relations are “closer than ever”.
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| President Luong Cuong meets Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea, October 31. (Photo: Quang Hoa) |
Profound political trust
Ambassador Ito Naoki stated that the first notable achievement is the progress in dialogue and exchanges based on profound trust between the senior leaders of the two countries.
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| Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki. (Photo: Anh Duc) |
Newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, who took office in October this year, has held three meetings with Vietnamese leaders. During the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Prime Minister Takaichi held talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Just a few days later, at the APEC Summit, Prime Minister Takaichi also exchanged views with President Luong Cuong. Most recently, at the G20 Summit in South Africa, Prime Minister Takaichi continued discussions with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. Both sides affirmed their commitment to further strengthening bilateral cooperation within the CSP framework.
“In April this year, Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru visited Vietnam and assured Vietnamese leaders that Japan supports the reform direction that Vietnam is pursuing to enter a new era, emphasizing that Japan will continue to be an irreplaceable partner, accompanying Vietnam for stronger development. Under former Prime Minister Ishiba and now Prime Minister Takaichi, Japanese leaders have affirmed their determination to maintain and strengthen robust relations with Vietnam,” emphasized Ambassador Ito Naoki.
Ambassador Ito Naoki also mentioned the visit of the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance delegation led by Chairwoman Obuchi Yuko to Vietnam in August this year. National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man invited the delegation to visit Can Tho city and organized an investment promotion seminar to boost economic relations between the two countries.
According to Ambassador Ito Naoki, thanks to these political initiatives, a new trend has emerged in bilateral relations, which is the strengthening of local connections. On November 24-25, the Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum was held in Quang Ninh province. This was the first time a large number of delegates from localities of both countries attended the same event, highlighting the increasing importance of local cooperation, economic development, and investment promotion between Vietnam and Japan.
In a message to the Forum, Prime Minister Takaichi emphasized that the experiences and knowledge accumulated by Japanese localities in areas such as local community development, industrial promotion, tourism development, and human resource training will make practical contributions to Vietnam's development process.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh takes a group photo with delegates attending the Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum on November 25. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Comprehensive impressive growth
Ambassador Ito Naoki noted that bilateral economic relations and infrastructure projects implemented by Japan are progressing steadily. Accordingly, strategic infrastructure, such as Metro Line 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, was inaugurated in December 2024.
Other projects launched in 2025 include: the groundbreaking ceremony for Aeon's commercial center in Hai Duong (April), the groundbreaking ceremony for the North Hanoi Smart City (Sumitomo Corporation and BRG, August 19), the completion ceremony for the Yen Xa Wastewater Treatment Plant in Hanoi (ODA loan, August), the completion ceremony for the Quang Tri Wind Power Plant (August), the groundbreaking ceremony for the O Mon 4 Power Plant (August), and the groundbreaking ceremony for Metro Line 2 in Hanoi (October), opening up further cooperation opportunities with JICA.
Regarding the investment environment, following dialogues with Japanese businesses (March and August 2025), Vietnam adjusted regulations, allowing companies to extend investment licenses for machinery over 10 years old. The Ambassador highly appreciated these significant improvements. According to a JETRO survey, nearly 60% of over 2,000 Japanese businesses operating in Vietnam plan to expand their operations in the next 1-2 years.
In trade and investment, bilateral trade turnover reached USD 42.5 billion in the first 10 months of 2025, up 11% year-on-year. With this momentum, bilateral trade is expected to surpass USD 50 billion for the first time this year. Total investment in the same period also increased by 18% compared to the previous year.
People-to-people exchanges are vibrant, with travel between the two countries reaching approximately 1.26 million (580,000 Vietnamese to Japan and 680,000 Japanese to Vietnam) in the first 10 months of 2025. The total bilateral travel is expected to reach about 1.4 million by the end of 2025.
In the new strategic cooperation, according to Ambassador Ito Naoki, Japan and Vietnam are making strong strides in three areas: technology - innovation, green transition, and security - defense.
In the semiconductor sector, Japan has committed to accepting 250 out of 500 PhD candidates that Vietnam aims to train by 2030. Since September, five universities from both countries have signed cooperation agreements, and over the next three years, 63 candidates are expected to train in Japan.
The Vietnam-Japan University has also launched a semiconductor chip technology program with over 100 students in its first class. In the green transition sector, the two countries are promoting 15 projects under the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative, valued at approximately USD 20 billion, spanning from renewable energy to LNG power.
Ambassador Ito Naoki stated that security - defense cooperation is also entering a new phase. In December, the two countries will hold the first-ever 2 2 Dialogue at the Deputy Foreign Minister - Defense Minister level. Naval and coast guard ships from both countries will visit each other's ports, demonstrating a commitment to maintaining peace in the East Sea and East China Sea.
Ambassador Ito Naoki reaffirmed that Japan maintains a consistent policy of promoting the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam to continue developing in a stable, substantive, and sustainable manner.
