Contribute to promoting cooperative relations with Japan

(Baonghean) - Patriot Phan Boi Chau, a son of Nghe An land with a rich revolutionary tradition, laid the first bricks to build the foundation of Vietnam - Japan friendship.

Overcoming the vicissitudes of time, that traditional relationship has been elevated to a deep strategic partnership, in which Nghe An province has also achieved many positive results in cooperation fields with the land of cherry blossoms.

The sound of the Eastern Travel movement

Looking back at history, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Vietnam faced many changes. Under the yoke of French colonialism, our people's patriotism and hatred for the enemy rose strongly, many outstanding personalities with great morale and a burning will to fight to regain independence appeared, of which the most prominent was the patriot Phan Boi Chau.

And of course, it is impossible to separate the name of the patriotic son from the land rich in revolutionary tradition, Nam Dan, from the Dong Du movement, which is considered by researchers as the event that opened a new stage of development in Japanese thinking towards Vietnam.

Initiated in 1905, Dong Du was a movement to send outstanding young people to Japan to explore and learn new things, and to nurture a talented next generation for the country. By the end of 1908, an estimated 200 Vietnamese people had participated in this movement, studying the country's reformist ideology in the land of the rising sun, actively composing and sending back to the country works of agitation, propaganda, and national revival...

Images of the Eastern Travel Movement (provided by the French Cultural Center)

Not only that, the Dong Du movement also contained innovative ideas and viewpoints, leaving valuable lessons for future generations in the process of nation building, on the path of contemporary development and integration.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Danh - Director of Nghe An Department of Foreign Affairs affirmed: "The consistent ideology in Phan Boi Chau's path of national salvation and liberation is to rely on external forces to develop internal forces. This is one of his outstanding advances, demonstrating his views on openness and international integration, leaving a great lesson for the next generation: Taking advantage of external forces is necessary, but we need to know how to take advantage of and learn the best in the integration process to cultivate our own strength."

Deepening Nghe An - Japan cooperation

Currently, the relationship between Vietnam and Japan is in a good development phase in the spirit of Extensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia. As a large province, located in the center of the North Central region, and the hometown of patriot Phan Boi Chau, Nghe An has joined the flow of integration and practical cooperation with partners from this East Asian country.

Notably, in terms of bilateral cooperation, Nghe An has established friendly relations with Gifu province of Japan since November 2015, actively implementing exchange and cooperation activities in the fields of agriculture, tourism, education - training, investment and cultural and sports exchanges...

Every year, many high-ranking delegations from the two localities regularly visit each other; many Japanese business delegations organize visits, surveys and learn about the investment environment and promote tourism in Nghe An.

In addition, Nghe An also carefully organized the Investment - Tourism - Trade Promotion Workshop in Gifu province, sent experts to Japan to research and train in the agricultural field, thereby determining a cooperation program suitable to the potential strengths of each side.

At the district level, localities of the two sides also actively exchange and expand friendly and cooperative relations. Typically, Vinh city has established relations and regularly holds friendly exchange activities with Kasumigaura city, Irabaki province of the cherry blossom country.

Leaders of Nghe An province exchanged with representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Japanese-invested enterprises. Photo: Phu Binh

Not only that, in terms of investment cooperation, ODA and NGO aid, Japan is considered by Nghe An province as one of its traditional and important partners. According to data from the Department of Foreign Affairs, there are currently 8 projects with Japanese investment capital in Nghe An province with a total investment capital of 95.28 million USD in the fields of limestone mining, food, garment...

ODA programs and projects funded by Japan in Nghe An with a total capital of up to 6,172,087 billion VND, with many typical projects such as: Restoring and upgrading the irrigation system of North Nghe An; Sustainable restoration of protective forests in Nghe An province (JICA 2)...

In the field of non-governmental aid, at the end of 2016, Nghe An received a composite hull rescue vessel sponsored by the International Small Vesel Recycle Project. This non-profit organization then proposed to continue to provide 30 vessels of various types to exploit the river/sea economy for Nghe An province.

On the people's foreign affairs front, the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association of Nghe An province has regularly strengthened and consolidated friendly relations with many Japanese partners; including the Japanese Embassy, ​​the Japan Cultural Exchange Center in Hanoi; especially with two long-standing traditional associations: the Japan - Vietnam Bridge Association in Tokyo and the Asaba Association of Shizuoka province.

In November 2016, the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association also sent a working delegation to Japan to work with the Shizuoka Prefecture Asaba Association and the Japan - Vietnam Bridge Association in Tokyo at the invitation of these two agencies to strengthen the friendly and cooperative relationship between the two sides and agreed on a plan to organize events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Phan Boi Chau and Asaba Sakitaro in 2017, and the 100th anniversary of Phan Boi Chau erecting a memorial stele for Dr. Asaba Sakitaro in 2018...

Japanese business delegation on a trip to survey the investment environment in Nghe An. Photo: Phu Binh

The above positive results are thanks to the strong leadership and direction of all levels and sectors, closely following the viewpoint of inheriting the valuable heritages that previous generations, including Phan Boi Chau and the Dong Du movement, have preserved and passed on, creating a foundation to maximize the outstanding strengths of Nghe An, foster and deepen cooperative relations with traditional partners, and strongly promote the establishment of relations with new and potential partners of Japan.

And in fact, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Duong in his meetings with the embassy delegation, the Japanese JICA organization or business delegations all clearly stated that Nghe An is currently focusing on promoting investment attraction from Japan in areas such as clean agriculture, high-tech industry...

“With the achievements that Nghe An province has achieved in cooperation with Japanese partners in recent times, I hope that the good traditional relationship between Vietnam and Japan in general, Nghe An and Japanese partners in particular, will be promoted for sustainable development in the coming time, contributing to raising the level of Vietnam - Japan relations”, the head of Nghe An provincial government affirmed during a courtesy meeting with the Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam in mid-October.

Phu Binh