Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra receives the Governor of Aichi Prefecture (Japan).

Attending the reception were leaders from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the Government Office.

During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra expressed her pleasure that the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continues to develop strongly, substantively, and effectively in all fields.

The Deputy Prime Minister stated that the highly successful visit of Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae to Vietnam in early May had further boosted cooperative relations between the two countries.

Immediately after the visit, the Vietnamese Prime Minister approved a list of cooperation tasks with Japan and assigned ministries and agencies to implement them according to specific timelines and schedules in various fields such as economics, trade, investment, science and technology, agriculture, local cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that Vietnam is striving to achieve two development goals: to become a developing country with modern industry and upper-middle income by 2030, and to become a developed country with high income by 2045.

Throughout this process, Vietnam has consistently regarded Japan as one of its top long-term and most important partners, a reliable companion; and has identified local cooperation as a substantive channel of collaboration, contributing to further deepening the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

On the Aichi Prefecture side, Governor Omura Hideaki stated that it is a leading manufacturing hub in Japan, home to Toyota headquarters and many other businesses in the automotive and mechanical engineering sectors. Currently, more than 200 businesses from the prefecture are investing in Vietnam.

Aichi Prefecture also has the largest Vietnamese population in Japan, with approximately 71,000 people. The prefecture's Chubu International Airport currently offers direct flights to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, contributing to the promotion of people-to-people exchanges, trade, and investment between the two sides.

The Governor of Aichi also stated that the locality has organized the Vietnam Festival in Nagoya for many years, attracting a large number of people to participate, thereby contributing to strengthening cultural exchange and understanding between the people of the two countries.

Furthermore, for over a decade, Aichi Prefecture has maintained the "Aichi Desk" mechanism to support its businesses in exploring opportunities and implementing investments in Vietnam. In 2016, Aichi Prefecture and Ho Chi Minh City signed a memorandum of understanding on friendly cooperation, laying the foundation for many effective collaborative activities over the past 10 years.

Mr. Omura Hideaki affirmed that Aichi Prefecture will continue to work alongside businesses that make positive contributions to Vietnam's socio-economic development, while expanding cooperation with Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and many other localities.

Governor Omura also introduced the 20th Asian Games and the 5th Asian Para Games, which will be held in Aichi in September and October. Approximately 20,000 athletes and delegation members from 45 countries and territories are expected to participate.

Expanding relationships with local authorities.

Highly appreciating the cooperation platform between Aichi and Ho Chi Minh City, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra suggested that Governor Omura continue to explore expanding relations with other localities in Vietnam such as Hanoi and Phu Tho, thereby further strengthening cooperation between localities and contributing to deepening the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

The Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam will send a delegation of athletes to participate in the Asian Games in Aichi, especially in strong sports such as karate, shooting, sepak takraw, and football.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, this is not only a major regional sporting event but also an important opportunity to enhance people-to-people exchanges and further strengthen the friendship between Vietnam and Japan in general, and Aichi province in particular.

Emphasizing that Vietnam is using science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation as drivers of growth, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Governor of Aichi to continue paying attention to promoting businesses and corporations in the province to research and expand investment in Vietnam, especially in areas where Aichi has strengths and Vietnam is prioritizing investment attraction, such as automobile manufacturing, aerospace industry, supporting industries, high-tech agriculture, semiconductors, artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, and smart manufacturing.

The Deputy Prime Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese Government is always ready to create all favorable conditions for Japanese businesses, including those from Aichi province, to invest, conduct business effectively, and accompany Vietnam's socio-economic development process.

In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister also suggested strengthening cooperation in training high-quality human resources. Accordingly, Aichi could expand cooperation with Vietnamese universities and research institutes in training human resources for the fields of science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation.

Expressing confidence in the immense potential for cooperation between Aichi and Vietnamese localities, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra stated that expanding substantive cooperation programs would create further impetus for the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to continue developing in a profound, effective, and sustainable manner.