Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hosted a reception in Hanoi on October 14 for visiting Governor of Gunma prefecture Yamamoto Ichita and representatives of 25 businesses from the Japanese locality.

The PM expressed his belief that the visit will contribute to enhancing cooperation between Gunma and Vietnam and materialising the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, established in late 2023.

Noting with pleasure the strong, substantive, and effective developments of the bilateral ties across spheres with high political trust, Chinh said he and PM Shigeru Ishiba had committed to advancing the relationship, making its more intensive, comprehensive, and effective, during their recent meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summits in Laos.

Apart from economic cooperation, the two sides will pay more attention to enhancing collaboration between localities, the PM said.
The leader lauded the determination, efforts, and initiatives by the Governor and Gunma’s authorities in enhancing the relations with Vietnam over the past time, especially with its Ha Nam province, the Ministry of Labour, Invalids, and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam; and in promoting the Vietnam-Japan University project.

He also highlighted their incentives towards nearly 12,000 Vietnamese in the prefecture.

Briefing the guests on Vietnam’s major socio-economic achievements in the first nine months of this year, Chinh stressed that the Vietnamese Government is pushing ahead with administrative reform, and strategic infrastructure development, particularly transport infrastructure, in order to reduce logistics and input costs for businesses and raise goods competitiveness.

The PM suggested Gunma and the Governor continue to foster cooperation with Vietnamese localities, including Ha Nam, through specific projects that optimise their strengths.

Vietnam stands ready to facilitate the investment and operation of Gunma enterprises, he said, urging the prefecture to encourage its firms to invest more in the country in such areas as high-tech agriculture, processing, manufacturing, and supporting industries.

The PM also suggested stronger cooperation in high-quality personnel training, education, culture and cultural industries, people-to-people exchange, and connectivity between universities, calling on Gunma to receive more Vietnamese interns and workers.

He called for enhanced collaboration and the sharing of experience in restructuring the economy in a more sustainable fashion, and promoting digital transformation, green transition, circular economy, and sharing economy.

For his part, Yamamoto said he is interested in strengthening cooperation with Vietnam, particularly in high-quality workforce, appreciating the country’s great investment opportunities and the outstanding development of its localities, including Ha Nam.

According to the Governor, many participating enterprises have decided to invest in Vietnam, while many others expressed their interest in the investment, especially in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

✤ Yamamoto said he hopes for intensified cooperation with Vietnam in economy and investment, especially digital transformation, personnel training, labour, and cultural exchange. He vowed to encourage local businesses to invest in Vietnam, especially in developing onsen resorts./.