On November 8, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, accompanied by his spouse and a high-level Vietnamese delegation, departed for an official visit to Japan from November 8 to 11 at the invitation of the Japanese State.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the planned agenda includes meetings between General Secretary and State President To Lam and the Emperor and Empress of Japan, the Prime Minister, the President of the House of Councilors, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
He is also scheduled to meet with leaders of major Japanese economic organizations and corporations, and attend and deliver remarks at the Vietnam-Japan Public-Private Forum on Economic and Science-Technology Cooperation.
Strengthening economic ties between the two countries
Commenting on the context of the visit, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said that, after more than 50 years of diplomatic relations and three years since their ties were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Vietnam-Japan relations have been built on a solid foundation underpinned by three key factors, such as increasingly strong political trust, growing economic interdependence and ever-deeper people-to-people ties. Both countries attach importance to each other and accord one another high priority in their respective foreign policies.
According to Permanent Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu, one of the visit's key objectives is to advance bilateral ties beyond conventional economic, trade and investment cooperation towards stronger linkages between the two economies, with greater emphasis on partnership, joint development and enhancing each country's economic autonomy and resilience.
Against the backdrop of ongoing restructuring of global supply chains, deeper economic integration with partners, including Japan, will create opportunities for Vietnam to strengthen its production capacity and participate more extensively in global value chains.
For many years, Japan has consistently been one of Vietnam's leading economic partners and its largest provider of official development assistance (ODA). In terms of economic cooperation, approximately 2,000 Japanese businesses are currently operating in Vietnam, with a particular focus on high technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
Cooperation in energy security and green transition is also being actively promoted by both sides. Bilateral trade continues to expand steadily, helping attract high-quality foreign direct investment (FDI) that makes a positive contribution to Vietnam's efforts to establish a new economic growth model.
Breakthroughs expected in emerging areas of cooperation
Beyond traditional areas of cooperation, the official visit to Japan by Party General and State President To Lam is expected to provide fresh impetus for cooperation in science and technology, innovation, and the transformation of development models.
According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu, a key common ground between the two countries is their shared recognition that science and technology, innovation, and the quality of human resources are decisive factors in future development.
Japan has strengths in technology, capital, industry, and management experience, while Vietnam offers abundant human resources, a dynamic market, and strong development aspirations. This presents a favorable opportunity for the two countries to translate their complementary strengths into shared development capabilities.
The two sides have been implementing a range of practical cooperation initiatives, including joint research, semiconductor workforce training, and space technology, while seeking to expand collaboration into artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
Projects involving digital transformation, green transition, renewable energy, and disaster prevention and control are also being implemented effectively. These areas offer considerable prospects, not only for deepening bilateral cooperation but also for directly advancing the two countries' development goals in the new period.
Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki expressed his hope that the visit would further promote friendship and cooperation between Japan and Vietnam within the framework of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu also expressed confidence that the two countries' leaders would jointly define and establish a new, higher-level framework for cooperation, open up new development opportunities in strategic sectors through a long-term vision, and create shared value so that their people can benefit from the achievements.
In the first nine months of 2026, bilateral trade between Vietnam and Japan reached US$43.71 billion, up 15.34 percent from the same period in 2025. As of September 2026, Japan had 5,872 valid investment projects in Vietnam, with total registered capital exceeding US$81 billion. Meanwhile, Vietnam had 137 investment projects in Japan, with cumulative registered capital of more than US$52.74 million.
- Japan is currently home to more than 51,000 Vietnamese students. The Vietnamese community in Japan numbers nearly 700,000, including approximately 7,000 engineers and information technology specialists.
- Around 80 Vietnamese enterprises are operating in Japan, mainly in the information technology sector, with annual revenue of approximately US$1 billion.
(Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
