Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue: Building the North Central region into an attractive destination

On the afternoon of April 25, Nghe An Provincial People's Committee coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam to organize the Conference "Meeting Japan - North Central Region 2019" in Vinh City.

Attending the conference were comrades: Vuong Dinh Hue - Member of the Politburo, Deputy Prime Minister; Bui Thanh Son - Member of the Party Central Committee, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.The conference was also attended by Mr. Umeda Kunio - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam and his delegation; leaders of Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien - Hue provinces. Photo: Thanh Duy

On the side of Nghe An province, there were comrades: Nguyen Dac Vinh - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation; Nguyen Xuan Son - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Thai Thanh Quy - Alternate Member of the Party Central Committee - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee and comrades of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and about 500 domestic and foreign delegates.

The government puts a lot ofexpectedon the development of the North Central region

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue highly appreciated the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam for choosing Nghe An province to host the conference. This is an opportunity to connect, share information, and discuss measures to promote investment and trade cooperation in various fields between the government and businesses in the North Central region with Japanese partners and businesses, contributing to further deepening the extensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, the North Central region in general and Nghe An in particular are famous for being a land of talented people; converging many advantages and potentials for economic development. Therefore, the Vietnamese Government has high expectations for the potential and prospects for economic development of the North Central region.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue speaks at the conference. Photo: Thanh Duy

However, to more effectively exploit the advantages of this region in the process of international integration, in addition to their own efforts, the provinces wish to cooperate and learn from international friends and partners, of which Japan is a close friend and important partner.

“I affirm that the Vietnamese Government and localities in the North Central region always welcome and are ready to create all favorable conditions for Japanese partners to expand their exchange, cooperation, investment and business relations in this region,” Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue emphasized.

The Deputy Prime Minister called on the North Central provinces to be more proactive, innovative, creative, and work more seriously to enhance cooperation with Japanese partners in a practical and effective manner; have policies to better meet the expectations of Japanese partners, making the North Central region truly a promising and attractive destination for tourists, businesses, and foreign investors, including Japan.

In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister suggested that localities and Japanese partners exchange openly, clearly state each side's wishes, and propose and discuss the most practical solutions to strengthen cooperation in the coming time.

In particular, localities need to have a regional economic development mindset based on regional connectivity along both the North-South axis and the East-West economic corridor to create momentum for common development, for the common benefit of the whole country and the region; promoting the competitive advantages of the region and each province.

Access to Japanese resources

Earlier, in his opening speech at the conference, Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy emphasized that the North Central provinces wished to listen to opinions and experience sharing from the Embassy, ​​economic and cultural organizations, businesses, associations, and Japanese localities attending the conference.

Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee Thai Thanh Quy delivered the opening speech at the conference. Photo: Thanh Duy

Thereby, the provinces of the North Central region in general and Nghe An in particular have the opportunity to access cooperation resources as well as promote their image in the eyes of Japanese friends.

Mr. Umeda Kunio - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam expressed his hope that through sharing and introducing the development potential of the North Central region at the conference, it will be the basis for attracting investment and increasing Japanese tourists to the North Central region.

Mr. Umeda Kunio - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam speaking at the conference. Photo: Thanh Duy

The conference "Meeting Japan - North Central Region 2019" is an activity in the series of "Meeting Japan" events organized annually by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a regional scale to connect Japanese partners in many fields with Vietnamese localities.

At the conference, the Organizing Committee held discussion sessions with the following topics: Development cooperation; Local cooperation, Culture - Tourism, Labor cooperation; Economic cooperation and discussions by representatives from Japan and provinces in the region.

Delegates discuss at the conference. Photo: Thanh Duy

The North Central region includes the provinces of Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue. It has a population of over 10.6 million people (2010), with a total area of ​​51,507.82 km², accounting for 15.55% of the country's area, with a 396 km long coastline and many national and international border gates bordering the Lao PDR, this is an area of ​​special importance in economic and tourism development between Vietnam and countries in the region such as Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar on the East-West economic corridor.

Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son delivered a closing speech at the conference. Photo: Thanh Duy

Closing remarks by Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the results of the Conference "Meeting with Japan - North Central Region 2019" held in Nghe An.

The exchange contents between localities and Japanese partners are both comprehensive and focused, focusing on the following areas: infrastructure development, climate change response; high-tech agriculture; marine economic sectors; cultural exchange, education - training, and labor.

On the basis of the extensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan, Deputy Minister Bui Thanh Son hopes that today's results will expand cooperation between the provinces of the North Central region and Japan.

Central leaders, provinces in the North Central region, the Japanese Ambassador and delegates took a souvenir photo at the conference. Photo: Thanh Duy