Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 25 had separate meetings with representatives from Gunma prefecture and the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance (JVPFA), and a delegation of Japanese local officials, who are in Vietnam to attend the Vietnam–Japan Local Cooperation Forum in Quang Ninh province.
Meeting Yamamoto Ichita, Governor of Gunma prefecture, which is home to 56 businesses investing in Vietnam, and a Vietnamese community of around 16,000 people, PM Pham Minh Chinh expressed his appreciation for Ichita’s attendance at the forum - the first large-scale initiative to promote local cooperation between the two countries.
The PM highlighted symbolic projects and initiatives representing Vietnam–Japan relations in Quang Ninh, expressing his hope that Ichita will continue to promote cooperation between Gunma prefecture and Quang Ninh province, especially in the fields of culture, tourism, education – training, and people-to-people exchanges.
Expressing his honour at meeting PM Pham Minh Chinh for the second time, Ichita conveyed his sympathy for the losses and suffering faced by Vietnamese people due to recent storms and floods.
Many Japanese businesses are expanding their investments in Vietnam, he noted, calling for the Vietnamese Government and the PM’s support to ensure effective and sustainable investment in the Southeast Asian nation.
The Governor said the prefecture’s delegation wants to explore cooperation and investment opportunities with Vietnamese localities. He applauded the initiative and expressed his desire that the Vietnamese PM will continue supporting Gunma prefecture to join more cooperative programs and investment projects with Vietnam’s localities in the future.
Agreeing with the Governor, PM Pham Minh Chinh expressed his confidence that Ichita and the Gunma delegation will actively propose concrete cooperation projects, particularly in Gunma’s key sectors such as human resource training, food processing, transport equipment, hi-tech agriculture, elderly care, and cultural and tourism collaboration in Quang Ninh.
He also encouraged expanding investment in Vietnam with technology transfer and high-quality workforce development, especially in innovation, digital and green transition, and semiconductors, while continuing support for 16,000 overseas Vietnamese living and working in Gunma.
In his reception for Takebe Tsutomu, Special Advisor to the Japan-Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance (JVPFA), PM Pham Minh Chinh recalled his meeting with his Japanese counterpart Sanae Takaichi during the ASEAN Summit in October 2025, and their agreement to closely promote bilateral cooperation, including local-level collaboration.
The PM said he believes that the forum will serve as an opportunity to strengthen practical cooperation between businesses and localities of both countries, creating momentum for the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Local-level cooperation between the two nations has become increasingly dynamic, Tsutomu said, highlighting active exchanges in culture and people-to-people interaction with notable events such as the annual Vietnam–Japan Festival in Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam Festival in Hokkaido, and the Hokkaido Festival in Ha Long city; as well as ongoing educational and human resource training cooperation, including the long-running Vietnam–Japan University project.
Expressing his appreciation for Tsutomu’s contributions to promoting Vietnam–Japan friendship and cooperation, PM Pham Minh Chinh called on him to continue supporting the practical implementation of the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership through concrete projects and programs.
The Vietnamese leader urged Tsutomu to continue supporting Vietnam–Japan ties, especially local cooperation between Hokkaido and Quang Ninh and other Vietnamese localities, in areas such as agriculture, investment, education, culture, and tourism.
In their meeting with the Government leader, officials from Yamanashi, Niigata, Tokushima, Osaka, Shimane, Hiroshima, Miyagi, and Wakayama prefectures introduced their regions and expressed their desire to strengthen cooperation with Vietnamese localities. They also offered sincere opinions and proposals.
PM Pham Minh Chinh highlighted his willingness to listen to practical and candid suggestions from Japanese leaders and local officials to further foster local-level cooperation between the two countries, stressing that local-level cooperation is a key and distinctive aspect of the bilateral relations.
He urged Japanese localities to implement signed cooperation agreements practically; expand exchanges to strengthen mutual understanding; and encourage Japanese businesses to invest in Vietnam in processing and supporting industries, hi-tech agriculture, biotechnology, digital and green transition, and linking business activities with technology transfer and innovation.
The PM affirmed that the Vietnamese Government is ready to create favourable conditions for Japanese businesses to invest and operate successfully in Vietnam. He also urged the Japanese side to facilitate effective investment by Vietnamese enterprises in its localities.
He also called on Japanese localities to strengthen collaboration in training high-quality human resources by linking their universities, research institutes, and training centers with Vietnamese partners; promoting joint research programs in semiconductors and quantum technology; and maintaining and expanding scholarship programs for Vietnamese students.
