Top Vietnamese leader visits Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, promotes bilateral cooperation

During the visit, General Secretary and President Lam met with Kanagawa Governor Kuroiwa Yuji and attended a banquet hosted by the Japanese official. 

He also visited Meiko Electronics Co., Ltd., toured the Vietnam-Japan Sculpture Exhibition and attended the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Concert.

At the meeting with Kuroiwa, the top Vietnamese leader expressed his pleasure at visiting the prefecture and welcomed the positive development of its cooperation with Vietnamese localities and ministries, including the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism during this visit, describing it as a practical contribution to deepening bilateral friendship and cooperation in a substantive and comprehensive manner.

He spoke highly of the Governor's affection for Vietnam, particularly his annual organisation of two festivals and various investment and labour-related seminars in both Vietnam and Kanagawa. 

He thanked the Governor and prefectural authorities for their continued support for more than 45,000 Vietnamese people studying and working in the locality; and welcomed Kanagawa's plan to establish a Hanoi-Kanagawa Economic and Trade Office this year.

The General Secretary and President briefed the host on the outcomes of his successful talks with Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, during which the two sides agreed to issue the Vietnam-Japan Joint Vision Statement, opening a new phase of development in the bilateral ties as partners working together to co-create shared benefits, promote high-quality growth, and strengthen strategic autonomy and resilience in line with the development orientations of both countries.

He stressed that local-level cooperation is an important channel for translating high-level agreements into concrete outcomes and providing a sustainable foundation for the bilateral relations.

Congratulating Kanagawa on hosting GREEN x EXPO 2027, a major event promoting green and sustainable development, General Secretary and President Lam expressed his confidence that the exhibition will provide a chance for the prefecture to showcase its achievements in green technology, innovation and sustainable urban development, and expand cooperation opportunities with Vietnam in environmental protection and green growth.

He called on Kanagawa to further strengthen ties with Vietnamese localities through exchanges and visits of delegations at all levels, and encourage its businesses to expand economic collaboration and investment in Vietnam, particularly in areas where the prefecture has strengths, including high technology, semiconductors and green transition.

The Vietnamese leader also proposed closer cooperation in healthcare, including the promotion of Kanagawa's ME-BYO preventive healthcare model to improve the quality of life of elderly people in Vietnam. 

At the same time, he encouraged the prefecture to facilitate Vietnamese businesses' access to its market, technologies and innovation ecosystem.

He affirmed that Vietnam stands ready to create favourable conditions for Kanagawa-based businesses to invest and operate successfully in the country.

For his part, Kuroiwa warmly welcomed General Secretary and President Lam, his spouse and the Vietnamese delegation, expressing his honour at receiving a Vietnamese Party and State leader in Kanagawa for the first time.

Briefing the Vietnamese leader on cooperation with Vietnamese localities, Kuroiwa said nearly 40 Kanagawa-based businesses are currently investing in Vietnam, while the Vietnamese community has become the largest foreign community in the prefecture.

He noted that Kanagawa is proud to host Japan's largest Vietnamese festival and has also organised festivals in Hanoi since 2018, attracting large numbers of local residents.

The Governor announced that the Kanagawa Festival 2026 will be held in Hanoi this month, while the musical "Princess Anio" will be staged at Ho Guom Opera in March 2027. 

He expressed his hope that the production will have more opportunities to be performed across Vietnam, noting that such cultural events will help further strengthen cooperation between Kanagawa and Vietnamese localities and ministries.

Highlighting Kanagawa's position as one of Japan's leading satellite manufacturing centres, Kuroiwa expressed his desire to expand cooperation in space technology, healthcare, innovation, semiconductors and artificial intelligence. 

He also showed his hope that the prefecture could receive more skilled Vietnamese workers and technical interns in the coming years.

On this occasion, General Secretary and President Lam witnessed the exchange of the cooperation document between Kanagawa and Vietnam's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and presented a certificate recognising the establishment of Kanagawa's trade and industry promotion office in Hanoi.