National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man received Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on January 20.
National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man (secon, from right) and his spouse are with Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki and his spouse. (Photo: VNA)
Can Tho (VNA) ﷺ– National Assembly (NA) Chairman Tran Thanh Man received Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho on January 20.
During the reception, Man thanked the ambassador for helping to successfully organise his visit to Japan from December 3 to 7 last year. On this occasion, he asked Ito to convey his regards and wishes to the Emperor, Empress, and Prime Minister of Japan, as well as the President of the House of Councillors and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Congratulating the ambassador on his highly productive discussion with Secretary of the Can Tho municipal Party Committee Do Thanh Binh, Man expressed his belief that with the ambassador's prestige, Japanese businesses and investors will come to invest in the Mekong Delta, particularly Can Tho.
Ito informed his host that over the past two days, he and a working delegation that included representatives from the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and several corporations conducted a field trip to Can Tho, meeting with city leaders and visiting the Can Tho University.
Through these meetings, the Japanese Ambassador found that the city has significant development potential in areas such as economy, tourism, infrastructure construction, and education.
Man and Ito were pleased to observe that since elevating their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Vietnam and Japan have continued to develop their relations substantively and comprehensively across all fields. Political trust has been strengthened while high- and all-level visits and meetings further promoted.
Japan is currently the No. 1 partner in official development assistance (ODA) and the fourth-largest trading partner of Vietnam, with bilateral trade in 2024 exceeding 46 billion USD, accounting for 6% of Vietnam's total foreign trade turnover. Additionally, Japan is the fourth-largest export market and the third-largest import market for Vietnam. Both countries are also actively expanding cooperation to new areas such as green transition and digital transformation.
Man said that Vietnamese leaders wish to collaborate closely with Japan to deepen bilateral ties within the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, thus fostering increasingly broad and substantive cooperation that contributes to the development of each country in the new phase.
The top legislator called on Ito to help promote cooperation between the two parliaments to enhance the countries' interwoven economic interests and collaboration in economic security, investment, trade, and ODA.
He also asked Japan to continue supporting Vietnam in building and implementing the industrialisation and modernisation strategy within the framework of bilateral cooperation for the 2023–2030 period, provide new-generation ODA loans with a focus on several major infrastructure projects, and further promote Japanese investment in Vietnam, particularly in high-quality projects with spillover effects and technology transfer.
Ito said that as 2026 marks the 80th founding anniversary of the Can Tho University, Japan plans to organise an international seminar on climate change response in the city.
The ambassador also expressed his hope that Man will support efforts to improve laws and policies and reform administrative procedures to create better conditions for Japanese businesses to invest in Vietnam.
In response, Man affirmed that the Vietnamese NA has been boosting institutional perfection to remove obstacles in the legal system and step up administrative reform to faciliate activities of people and businesses.
On this occasion, Ito conveyed New Year greetings from Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan to Man./.
The Mekong Delta city of Can Tho is committed to creating the best possible conditions for Japanese companies to study, invest and develop projects, Standing Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Commitee Duong Tan Hien said at a January 20 meeting with representatives from the Japanese Embassy and businesses in Vietnam.
Within the framework of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan, the central coastal city of Da Nang is ramping up efforts to promote study abroad programmes and high-tech workforce training with Japanese localities, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Anh Thi has said.
Vietnam needs to acquire technologies to ensure the safe management of nuclear power plants, and establish an appropriate financial mechanism to secure the substantial initial investment capital for the plan, according to Hisanori Nei, Professor Emeritus of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies of Japan.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly departed from Hanoi on August 10 morning for a four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is made at an invitation of RoK President Lee Jae Myung.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.
The size of the economy increased from over 5 billion USD in 1986 to over 476 billion USD by 2024, making Vietnam the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 34th largest in the world.
