Chairman Tran Sy Thanh meets with Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko.

In Tokyo, Japan, Chairman Tran Sy Thanh met with Tokyo Governor Koike Yuriko and Chairman of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Ishiguro Norihiko.

At Tokyo's government headquarters, Governor Koike welcomed the high-level delegation from Hanoi and expressed sympathy for the damage caused by Typhoon No. 3 (internationally named Yagi) to Hanoi and the northern provinces of Vietnam. Governor Koike expressed a willingness to share experience in disaster information and infrastructure building. In response, Chairman Tran Sy Thanh thanked the Japanese government and NGOs for their support in overcoming the damage caused by the typhoon. He noted that Hanoi and Tokyo signed their first official cooperation agreement in 2013, and since then, Hanoi has sent several delegations, including high-level and technical teams, to exchange development experiences with Tokyo.

Hanoi appreciates Tokyo’s pioneering role and initiatives in inter-city cooperation, most recently the G-nets 2024 Conference. Hanoi sent a delegation to this event, gaining insights into sustainable local development across various fields such as technology, infrastructure, and culture.

Chairman Tran Sy Thanh highlighted that Hanoi is focused on creating and improving development policies, aiming to expand Hanoi’s development space. He emphasized the need for cooperation with developed cities like Tokyo in areas such as digital transformation, smart city development, green economy, and circular economy. Governor Koike agreed on strengthening cooperation between the two capitals and suggested that Hanoi invite young start-ups to exchange ideas on sustainable urban development.

On the same day, Chairman of JETRO Ishiguro Norihiko met with Hanoi’s high-level delegation, led by Chairman Tran Sy Thanh. Chairman Ishiguro expressed warm greetings to the delegation and shared his concern about the damages from Typhoon No. 3.

He noted that Japanese investment in Vietnam has steadily increased, reaching $12.5 billion. Initially focused on manufacturing sectors in the early 2000s, Japanese investment expanded to retail and trade from 2010 onwards. Given the two governments' emphasis on cooperation in digital and green transformation, JETRO is currently focused on promoting innovation and has launched the J-BRIDGE forum, which includes 2,600 businesses. JETRO also connects with the database of 300 Vietnamese start-ups, holding hundreds of exchange sessions over three years, including an event in Hoa Lac in October 2024 with six major companies discussing collaboration in innovation.

The Hanoi Mayor and JETRO Chairman Ishiguro Norihiko.

Regarding Thang Long Industrial Park, which aims to become a smart industrial park, JETRO is collaborating in various ways, including financial support, especially in CO2 reduction efforts. Chairman Ishiguro commended Hanoi's efforts, particularly in human resource training and research and development, helping it achieve the top innovation index among Vietnamese provinces in 2024. He expressed hope for further collaboration in innovation between JETRO and Hanoi.

Chairman Tran Sy Thanh agreed with JETRO's proposed cooperation directions, stressing that developing smart and sustainable cities based on innovation is a key focus for Hanoi. He acknowledged JETRO’s effective contributions to promoting investment and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Japan, especially with Japanese businesses in Hanoi, known for their seriousness, responsibility, environmental awareness, and care for workers.

Introducing the Lang-Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, now under Hanoi’s management, Chairman Tran Sy Thanh shared that about 30% of the park’s area has been utilized and welcomed high-tech enterprises, including Japanese ones, to operate in the remaining areas. He requested that JETRO continue working with Hanoi to promote its investment environment, cooperation opportunities, and incentives to major Japanese corporations, especially in green transformation, digital transformation, circular economy, knowledge economy, and climate change response.

Hanoi is committed to providing necessary information to JETRO regarding its development and readiness to support Japanese investors. Chairman Tran Sy Thanh also requested JETRO's support in training human resources, sharing management expertise, building and improving institutions, and encouraging Japanese investors to participate in expanding the “public leadership, private governance” model in industrial parks.

Recognizing the critical role of foreign businesses and investors in mobilizing resources for development, Hanoi is committed to supporting the business community, facilitating investments, and continuing to engage with investors. It aims to simplify administrative procedures, reduce business costs, and maintain political and social stability to ensure long-term investor confidence under the spirit of “harmonized interests, shared risks.”

Chairman Tran Sy Thanh expressed hope that JETRO would continue close collaboration with Hanoi’s relevant agencies to organize practical and effective trade and investment promotion activities. These efforts should focus on the real needs of businesses from both sides, aiming to deepen cooperation and create structured, impactful initiatives.

During his official visit to Japan, on October 17, at the Kanagawa Prefecture Government headquarters, Chairman Tran Sy Thanh had a meeting with Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa Yuji and signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a friendship and cooperation relationship between Hanoi and Kanagawa.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh discusses with Governor of Kanagawa Kuroiwa Yuji and Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu.

At the meeting, Governor Kuroiwa Yuji expressed his honor to welcome the high-level delegation from Hanoi and extended his sympathy for the damage caused by Typhoon No. 3 in Vietnam. The Governor also thanked Hanoi for supporting the successful organization of the Kanagawa Festival in Vietnam in 2023. He was pleased to share that the Vietnam Festival held in Kanagawa this past September attracted over 200,000 visitors.

He mentioned that the first Vietnam Festival in Kanagawa took place in 2015, and at that time, there were only 10,000 Vietnamese residents in the prefecture, with no Vietnamese businesses. Now, there are about 35,000 Vietnamese residents and 17 Vietnamese companies operating in Kanagawa.

Governor Kuroiwa Yuji added that the Kanagawa government has always encouraged Japanese businesses in the prefecture to invest in Vietnam, and currently, 27 Kanagawa companies are operating in Vietnam.

According to the plan, the Kanagawa Festival will be held in Hanoi on November 16-17, and Governor Kuroiwa Yuji hopes this will be an opportunity for both regions to promote further cooperation.

Governor Kuroiwa Yuji expressed his delight at the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding to establish the friendship and cooperation relationship under such favorable circumstances. He hopes this will serve as a foundation for the relationship between the two sides to develop even more strongly in the future.

In return, Chairman Tran Sy Thanh expressed his honor to visit Kanagawa and meet again with Governor Kuroiwa Yuji, a close friend of Vietnam. The Chairman praised the Governor for his special affection for Vietnam and his persistent efforts to nurture the Vietnam-Japan friendship. Chairman Tran Sy Thanh believes that this affection is one of the reasons the number of Vietnamese residents in Kanagawa has significantly increased.

Chairman Tran Sy Thanh expressed his hope that the Kanagawa government would continue to pay attention to and support the Vietnamese community and Vietnamese businesses in the prefecture.

He also thanked Kanagawa for maintaining the organization of the Vietnam Festival since 2015, providing the Vietnamese community in Kanagawa with the opportunity to experience the atmosphere of their homeland.

Chairman Tran Sy Thanh proposed that, during the upcoming visit to Vietnam in November, the Kanagawa delegation includes representatives from various departments to work with Hanoi's counterparts and discuss ways to implement the Memorandum of Understanding between the two regions.

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