During the reception, Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc thanked Mr. Takebe Tsutomu for his contributions to fostering Vietnam–Japan relations, particularly ties between Ho Chi Minh City and Japan.
The HCMC Chairman praised especially his support and cooperation in organizing the Vietnam–Japan Festival in the city.
To mark the establishment of the new Ho Chi Minh City, the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Chairman proposed that Mr. Takebe Tsutomu and Japanese organizers consider the initiative of organizing the 2026 Vietnam–Japan Festival in the former Ba Ria–Vung Tau area, aligned with activities around marine-related themes.
In that spirit, the Vietnam–Japan Festival could be hosted in the former Binh Duong area in the coming years, making it increasingly rich in both content and format.
Chairman Nguyen Van Duoc affirmed the strong and growing friendship between Vietnam and Japan in recent years, and noted that education and training is one of the key areas of mutual interest.
He emphasized that Ho Chi Minh City consistently supports strengthening educational cooperation between the two sides, thereby contributing to the advancement of Vietnam–Japan relations in the coming years.
Appreciating the suggestions by the Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee to enrich the content and format of the Vietnam–Japan Festival, Mr. Takebe Tsutomu said he and Japanese organizers would discuss and consider the possibility of organizing the festival in the former Ba Ria–Vung Tau or Binh Duong areas.
The Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance expressed a desire to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in training high-quality human resources to contribute to economic development in both countries, even potentially supply talent for the entire Asian region.
Mr. Takebe Tsutom emphasized that development of human resources to build a nation is a long-term vision that requires joint efforts and cooperation from both Japan and Vietnam.
