Vietnam, Japan push for more substantive, effective ties

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae held talks in Hanoi on May 2 following an official welcome ceremony.

During the meeting, PM Hung noted that the selection of Vietnam as PM Takaichi’s first Asian destination after her re-election underscores the high priority Japan places on relations with the country.

He also congratulated Japan on the successful organisation of the expanded Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Summit, highlighting its leadership in addressing global energy security challenges. The Vietnamese leader affirmed that Japan remains one of Vietnam’s top strategic partners and a trusted, sincere companion in pursuing sustainable development goals.

PM Hung said he expects the visit to create fresh impetus for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries, driving broader and more profound, substantive and effective cooperation across key areas, including trade, investment, ODA, digital and green transformation, science and technology, food security and sustainable energy - pillars critical to growth of both countries, as well as the region and the world at large.

For her part, PM Takaichi congratulated PM Hung on his election and expressed confidence in the Vietnamese government’s continued progress under his leadership.

She commended Vietnam’s robust development and rising global profile, pointing to its key role in regional supply chains and its foreign policy of self-reliance and intensive and extensive international integration. PM Takaichi reaffirmed Japan’s support for Vietnam’s development agenda and its readiness to expand cooperation, particularly in strengthening economic resilience and self-reliance.

Noting the strong momentum in bilateral ties, built on solid political trust, extensive economic cooperation and growing people-to-people exchanges, PM Hung called for closer coordination to take the partnership to new heights and broaden collaboration across all sectors.

The two PMs agreed to further bolster political trust by maintaining annual high-level visits and exchanges, and effectively follow ministerial-level cooperation mechanisms across key sectors, including diplomacy, trade, industry and energy, and agriculture.

They also vowed to enhance substantive cooperation in national defence-security, particularly in maritime affairs, post-war recovery, cybersecurity, United Nations peacekeeping operations (PKO), military medicine, training, and the fight against transnational crime.

On economic cooperation, the leaders concurred on deepening economic ties as a central pillar of their relationship through expanded trade, investment, and official development assistance (ODA), thereby contributing to economic and energy security, and sustainable agriculture.

They reached consensus on ways to raise Japan’s investment in Vietnam to 5 billion USD per year and push bilateral trade to 60 billion USD by 2030. Both sides will work toward early market access for Vietnam’s green-skinned pomelo and Japanese grapes. They also promised to launch ODA-funded projects in climate change response and advance cooperation under Japan-led regional initiatives such as the Asia Zero Emission Community and the Partnership on Wide Energy and Resources Resilience (POWERR Asia), while stepping up discussions on energy projects, including nuclear and gas-fired power.

Japan will support crude oil supplies for the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex. PM Takaichi reaffirmed Japan’s continued support for Vietnam’s one-million-ha low-emission rice project in the Mekong Delta.

PM Hung outlined the Vietnamese Government’s efforts to improve business climate and cut red tape to better leverage the private sector and develop the foreign-invested sector as an integral part of the economy.

He also commended the operations of Japanese banks and financial institutions in Vietnam, calling them vital bridges between the two countries’ business communities. He proposed establishing mechanisms for mergers and acquisitions among small and medium-sized enterprises of both countries, encouraging Japanese investment in hi-tech projects with higher local content, and assisting Vietnamese firms in Japanese Government-funded projects and expanding their presence in Japan.

In sci-tech, the leaders agreed to reconvene the Vietnam - Japan Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation this year and soon hold a public–private event on high technology.

PM Takaichi said Japan wishes to continue supporting Vietnam’s technological self-reliance in artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and space, considering them priority areas for future cooperation. She also spotlighted workforce upskilling in advanced technology sectors through scholarships for Vietnamese students and researchers, along with co-funded joint research projects under the Networked Exchange, United Strength for Stronger Partnerships between Japan and ASEAN (NEXUS) and the Sakura Science Exchange Programme.

Reaffirming the importance of linking the two countries’ human resources, the two PMs agreed to further promote cooperation in labour, local-level ties, people-to-people exchanges, culture and tourism, and to hold the second Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum in 2026.

PM Hung called on the Japanese government to simplify visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens, helping facilitate the goal of doubling two-way tourist arrivals by 2030.The two leaders also consented to cooperate closely on the Vietnam-Japan University project and to soon sign an agreement on the university between the two countries.

On regional and international issues, they agreed to continue close coordination at regional and global forums such as ASEAN, the Mekong subregion and the United Nations, as well as within the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2026, when Vietnam holds the chairmanship.

The two sides affirmed the importance of resolving disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

PM Hung invited PM Takaichi to attend the 2027 APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Phu Quoc and said Vietnam would participate in the 2027 GREEN EXPO in Yokohama, Japan.

PM Takaichi pledged to work closely with Vietnam to help ensure a successful APEC year./.