Vietnam - Japan discuss economic cooperation strategy in the Mekong Delta

DNVN - The People's Committee of Can Tho City coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) to organize the Meeting with Japan - Mekong Delta Region conference. The conference focused on discussing the future of Japan - Vietnam economic cooperation.

The event took place on the afternoon of August 8, with the participation of National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man; Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung; leaders of 6 provinces and cities in the West: Can Tho, Vinh Long, Tay Ninh, Dong Thap, An Giang and Ca Mau.

On the Japanese side, there were Ms. Obuchi Yuko - Member of the House of Representatives, President of the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Union; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Vietnam Ito Naoki, along with investors and 150 Japanese enterprises.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and Ms. Obuchi Yuko - Member of the House of Representatives, President of the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Union visited the conference.

2 particularly important projects of Japan

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man said that this is a historic event for Can Tho City, aiming to fulfill the previous commitment of Chairman of the Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance Obuchi Yuko and the Japanese Ambassador.

The National Assembly Chairman affirmed that the Vietnam-Japan relationship is a successful model of bilateral cooperation, built on the foundation of more than 50 years of political trust, cultural similarities and historical ties. There are currently more than 2,500 Japanese enterprises operating in Vietnam and a community of more than 600,000 Vietnamese people in Japan.

Vietnam always considers Japan as a leading strategic partner, especially in the fields of economy, investment and technology transfer. We appreciate Japanese capital through ODA projects, such as Can Tho Bridge - a symbol of friendship between the two countries, or the Can Tho University upgrade project and many other projects in the Mekong Delta provinces.

The National Assembly Chairman hopes that Japanese enterprises will invest heavily in supporting industries, high technology, digital transformation, clean energy, and smart agriculture; and at the same time share experiences and transfer technology, especially in green transformation, circular economy, and corporate governance.

"Vietnam aims to become an upper-middle-income country by 2030 and a high-income country by 2045, in which the Mekong Delta plays a key role. This region will accompany Japan's initiatives such as the Asian Energy Transition and the Asian Zero Emission Community, especially in renewable energy and environmental protection projects," the National Assembly Chairman emphasized.

Can Tho City Party Secretary Do Thanh Binh informed about Japanese cooperation projects .

According to Secretary of the Can Tho City Party Committee Do Thanh Binh, Can Tho currently has 13 Japanese projects with a total capital of about 1.6 billion USD. Of these, there are 2 projects of special importance to the city: AEON MALL Can Tho, with a scale of about 8.6 hectares, a total investment of about 216 million USD, and O Mon II Thermal Power Plant, with a capacity of 1,050 MW, a total registered investment of 1.3 billion USD. When the projects are put into operation, they will contribute to promoting the socio-economic development of the city and neighboring areas.

In terms of trade, in the first 6 months of 2025, export turnover to Japan reached 143.76 million USD, mainly seafood and processed agricultural products. Notably, 500 tons of low-carbon Japonica rice exported last May confirmed its ability to meet the strict standards of the Japanese market.

2 principles of commitment to investors

At the conference, Ms. Obuchi Yuko - Member of the House of Representatives, President of the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Union shared that the two countries have a long-standing diplomatic relationship, which has entered its 50th year in 2023 and has now been upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

Ms. Obuchi Yuko - Member of the House of Representatives, President of the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance.

During Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba’s visit to Vietnam last April, the two sides continued to affirm that they would expand cooperation in many areas such as diplomacy, economy and people-to-people exchange. There are currently more than 630,000 Vietnamese people living in Japan, ranking second among foreign communities and a record high as of the end of last year.

“Today’s conference focuses on discussing the future of Japan-Vietnam economic cooperation. I hope that, in order to support these economic activities, the friendship parliamentarians’ alliance between the two countries will continue to promote stronger exchanges. As the chair of the friendship alliance between the two countries, I will do my best to bring the political friendship between Japan and Vietnam to a new level,” Ms. Obuchi Yuko affirmed.

Introducing the city's potential to Japan, Chairman of the Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Van Lau said that with its central position, Can Tho is conveniently connected to Ho Chi Minh City and other provinces in the region, acting as a gateway to the international connection area. Can Tho is also known as the largest agricultural and aquatic center in the country, contributing more than 50% of aquatic product output and over 60% of rice export output of the Mekong Delta.

Regarding transport infrastructure, there is strong investment with expressways, creating a network of fast connections with major industrial centers. In addition, Can Tho is also an educational center, with many universities and research institutes, facilitating cooperation in training high-quality human resources and technology transfer. These advantages affirm Can Tho's role as a growth pole of the country, an attractive destination for international investors, especially Japanese enterprises.

To further promote the potential for cooperation with Japan, the Chairman of Can Tho City proposed key orientations: strengthening investment and trade connections; training and transferring technical standards; investing in processing and logistics infrastructure and developing clean agricultural product value chains.

Chairman of Can Tho City People's Committee Tran Van Lau informed about the potential of the area .

“We hope to regularly organize investment fairs and forums and establish a permanent promotion contact with JETRO to maintain an effective information exchange channel. Cooperation in training local businesses on technical standards, regulations, food safety, as well as inviting Japanese experts to advise on improving production, preservation and processing of agricultural and aquatic products.

Can Tho calls on Japanese enterprises to invest in industrial parks in the fields of agricultural and aquatic product processing, preservation technology and cold logistics, as well as cooperation in building a logistics center serving the entire Mekong Delta. Applying Japanese technology in traceability, preservation and deep processing, at the same time encouraging cooperation between Japanese farmers - enterprises - distributors to ensure sustainable output for the city's key agricultural products", said the Chairman of the Can Tho City People's Committee.

At the same time, the head of the City People's Committee also pledged to accompany and create the most favorable conditions for Japanese investors to confidently seek investment opportunities, live and work with the motto "government and businesses accompany and develop together"; "the success of investors is also the success of the city".

Thai Cuong

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/doanh-nghiep/viet-nam-nhat-ban-ban-chien-luoc-hop-tac-kinh-te-o-dong-bang-song-cuu-long/20250809020150611