Hai Phong fosters investment, tourism links with Japan
A forum was held in Hai Phong on March 12 to promote investment and tourism partnerships with Japan, one of the biggest investors in the northern port city.
Hai Phong and Fukuyama Transporting Co. Ltd sign a memorandum of understanding on developing logistics and transportation systems at the forum (Photo: VNA)
Hai Phong (VNA) – A forum was held in Hai Phong onMarch 12 to promote investment and tourism partnerships with Japan, one of thebiggest investors in the northern port city.
Secretary of the municipal Party Committee LeVan Thanh noted Japan is the fourth biggest trade partner and the largest officialdevelopment assistance provider of Vietnam.
Hai Phong was one of the first localities towelcome Japanese firms seeking business opportunities after Vietnam began theDoi Moi (Reform) process. Its achievements over the last three decades arepartly thanks to Japanese investors, he noted.
The city currently houses 486 foreign directinvestment projects worth nearly 14 billion USD from 36 countries. They include130 Japanese projects with combined capital of 4.14 billion USD. Japan ranksfirst in number of projects and second in investment capital in the city.
Introducing local tourism potential, Thanh saidHai Phong is a coastal city with hundreds of islands of all sizes andmagnificent landscapes, including Cat Ba Island – a UNESCO world biospherereserve – and Do Son beaches.
In 2016, the city posted economic growth of 11percent, about 1.7 times higher than the national average. Hai Phong Porthandled more than 80 million tonnes of goods, a year-on-year rise of 17percent.
Meanwhile, about 3 billion USD of foreigninvestment was poured into Hai Phong, making the city the top foreigninvestment destination in Vietnam, Thanh said, adding that the city also hasdeveloped transport infrastructure.
At the forum, Japanese entrepreneurs mentioned thebenefits of enhanced partnerships with them to Hai Phong, especially inindustry, tourism, and employment opportunities in Japan for Vietnamese people.
Hai Phong and Japan signed three memorandums ofunderstanding (MoU) on cultural exchanges and tourism promotion. The cityalso inked an MoU on flower cultivation with the Greenwin company and anotheron developing logistics and transportation systems with Fukuyama TransportingCo. Ltd.-VNA
Hai Phong city is expected to become a coastal tourism centre in the northern region under a development plan for the 2016 – 2020 period, with a vision to 2030.
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Hai Phong and Fukuyama Transporting Co. Ltd sign a memorandum of understanding on developing logistics and transportation systems at the forum (Photo: VNA) 
