On November 25, 2025, in Ha Long City (Quang Ninh Province), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, in coordination with Quang Ninh Province and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, successfully organized the First Vietnam–Japan Local Cooperation Forum under the theme “Comprehensive Partnership for Sustainable Future.”

This is the first large–scale and specialized event focusing on local–to–local cooperation between the two countries, materializing the agreement reached between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and former Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in April 2025. The Forum brought together representatives from 50 localities and hundreds of enterprises from both sides.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended, delivered remarks, and held meetings with Japanese local leaders participating in the Forum. The Prime Minister stressed that with more than 1,300 years of exchanges and over half a century of diplomatic relations, Vietnam and Japan have built a trusted, comprehensive, and effective partnership. Japan remains one of Vietnam’s most important economic partners—ranking first in ODA, third in investment, and fourth in trade and tourism. Two years after upgrading ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, bilateral relations continue to grow strongly.

The Prime Minister highly valued the contributions of Japanese localities and businesses, emphasizing that local–level and business cooperation is a hallmark of Vietnam–Japan relations and an effective channel for implementing high–level agreements. He also briefed participants on Vietnam’s socio-economic situation and investment environment, highlighting vast potential for cooperation and proposing key orientations for the next phase.

Attending the Forum were: Mr. Le Hoai Trung, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Vu Dai Thang, Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee; Leaders of central ministries and agencies; Heads of Vietnamese overseas missions; Leaders of 31 provinces and cities across Vietnam. From Japan, the Prime Minister conveyed a congratulatory message. The Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam attended together with leaders and representatives from 16 Japanese prefectures, as well as Japanese organizations, associations, and enterprises operating in Vietnam.

Speaking at the Forum, Ambassador Pham Quang Hieu underlined the strategic role of local cooperation within the overall Vietnam–Japan relationship and outlined priority directions at the thematic sessions on trade–investment, high-quality agriculture, and human-resource development. He highlighted supply-chain restructuring in East Asia; complementarities in high-tech agriculture; and growing demand for human-resource cooperation between Vietnamese and Japanese localities amid population aging and the green–digital transition.

Ambassador Hieu also noted that the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan is implementing several initiatives to support stronger local cooperation, including: Developing a Japanese-language information package on all 34 newly-restructured Vietnamese provinces; Operating an AI chatbot platform to facilitate Vietnam–Japan local connectivity; Expanding B2B, B2G, and G2G linkages—particularly with Japanese SMEs. Ambassador Hieu reaffirmed that the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan will continue to serve as an active bridge promoting local exchanges and cooperation across all fields.