Over 100 business players and top economic experts converged at the seventh Vietnam-Japan Economic Dialogue in Tokyo on July 18 to forge business opportunities.
Co-hosted by the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan and Japan’s International Friendship Exchange Council, the event was part of activities to celebrate the 40 th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties.
Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Doan Xuan Hung declared that with steady efforts, Vietnam will become an attractive investment destination, especially for Japanese companies.
He said that through official development assistance (ODA) and direct investment, the Japanese government and people have actively contributed to Vietnam ’s development.
However, the Ambassador noted that bilateral economic links have yet to meet each side’s potential. He also admitted that snags remain in Vietnam’s investment environment like cumbersome administrative procedures.
Etsuro Honda, Special Advisor to the Japanese Cabinet, stressed that economic policies named“Abenomics”, advocated by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, are behind the closer ties between the two economies.
He cited nursing care for the elderly as a potential cooperation field as Japan has a burgeoning demand for medical and nursing staff.
He said Vietnam is an investment “hotspot”, adding that Japanese investors will enjoy gains from pouring money into Vietnam, a country that boasts political and macro-economic stability.
Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics Tran Dinh Thien said Vietnam’s investment environment has improved considerably over the past years.
He also introduced Vietnam ’s economic development strategy, which was recently adopted by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. The scheme highlights priority fields that need Japanese investment like electronics, car manufacturing, shipbuilding, energy, agro-forestry-fishery and environment./.