Vietnam, Japan work to harvest agriculture opportunities
The Vietnam-Japan agricultural trade and investment policy dialogue took place in Tokyo on August 20, aiming to capitalise on untapped opportunities in this sector between the two Asian nations.
Tokyo (VNA) – The Vietnam-Japan agricultural trade and investment policy dialogue took place in Tokyo on August 20, aiming to cap൲italise on untapped opportunities in this sector between the two Asian nations.
The event was co-hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and the ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC).
In his opening speech, Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu hailed Japan as Vietnam’s largest supplier of official development assistance (ODA), the second biggest partner in labour cooperation, the third largest in investment and tourism, and the fourth largest in trade.
However, he noted the vast potential for growth in agricultural trade, with Japan accounting for a mere 7.4% of Vietnam's total agro-forestry-fishery exports and Vietnam representing just 1.1% of Japan's.
To tap into this potential, experts presented insights into the current landscape, opportunities, and incentives for agricultural trade and investment.
Commercial Counselor Ta Duc Minh offered practical advice to businesses, urging them to make optimal use of tax reduction benefits from free trade agreements of which both countries are members, leverage support from relevant ministries and agencies, engage in both direct and online trade connection events, and showcase products at major fairs and exhibitions both at home and abroad.
A discussion session chaired by Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam and Ambassador Hieu followed, with participants raising questions about government policies and support mechanisms.
In his concluding speech, Deputy Minister Nam highlighted the complementary nature of the two countries' agricultural sectors, with Vietnam’s strengths in tropical products and Japan’s expertise in temperate agriculture, machinery, and fertilisers.
According to him, the Japanese companies are also heavily investing in agricultural production in Vietnam to create supply chains for Japan and third-country exports.
Vietnam's agricultural exports to Japan have been surging, with Japan emerging as the third-largest importer last year. The first half of 2024 witnessed a 5% year-on-year increase, valued at 1.91 billion USD.
Nam also vowed to consult his ministry and the Government to build policies and mechanisms conducive to agricultural trade and investment between the two nations./.
The 8th Vietnam Festival will be held in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture on September 7 - 8 to help strengthen bonds between the two nations, heard a press conference on August 14.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha on July 31 hosted Yamada Takio, Special Advisor of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador of the Japanese Government’s Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) initiative.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son received Special Advisor to the Japan - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance Takebe Tsutomu in Hanoi on July 22, highlighting the countries' growing locality-to-locality cooperation and people-to-people exchanges.
In the first four months of 2025, trade turnover between Vietnam and Cambodia surpassed 3 billion USD, marking a 7% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
On June 19 alone, a total of 2,005 trucks completed customs clearance at Lang Son’s border gates — the highest single-day figure ever recorded in the province. Of these, 634 carried exports and 1,371 imports.
The OECD Economic Surveys: Vietnam 2025 report focuses on analysing the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals, the impact of international integration on attracting foreign investment and trade, and the country’s prospects for developing a low-carbon economy.
Antoine Colin, Senior Vice President for Global Supply Chain Digital Transformation & Resilience at HP Inc., affirmed HP’s strategic commitment to building a supply chain and ecosystem in Vietnam and the region.
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Trade Promotion Agency Bui Quang Hung emphasised that logistics has evolved from a technical function into a core capability for Vietnamese exporters to maintain their competitive advantage in the US market.
A trade official has suggested companies work closely with shipping lines, airlines, and freight forwarders to monitor routes, transit times, and potential surcharges while exploring broader cargo insurance to cover risks like war and terrorism.
In addition to institutional reform, the agency is also rolling out key solution groups to combat counterfeit goods, imitations, and intellectual property infringements in the digital environment.
The event, co-organised by the Vietnam Trade Office in the UK and TT Meridian, a local importer of Vietnamese fresh produce, aims to build a national lychee brand and encourage broader recognition of Vietnamese fruits in a competitive, high-end market.
The industry's performance has been powered by bold investments in modern production lines, enabling Vietnamese firms to produce complicated products which were exclusive to advanced economies.
Outcomes of ABAC III will shape ABAC’s final policy recommendations to be submitted to the ABAC-APEC leaders’ dialogue, scheduled to take place in the Republic of Korea this November.
This is the second year the magazine has released the ranking, which is based on total revenue and key financial indicators of enterprises from seven countries in the region: Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Cambodia.
At the summit, publishing, tech, and media sectors will discuss emerging trends, business models, and sustainable solutions for digital publishing development in Vietnam.
This year’s “Vietnam Goods Week” marks a significant milestone as it is being held simultaneously for the first time in four locations across Asia: Japan, Hong Kong (China), Cambodia, and Malaysia, from June 19 - 22.
According to NordCham Vietnam Chairman Thue Quist Thomasen, the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 is both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses to contribute to green and sustainable growth.
The analysis from an investment perspective shows that the economy’s growth has been heavily capital‑driven, yet efficiency remains low as reflected by Vietnam’s Incremental Capital-Output Ratio (ICOR) being significantly higher than global and regional averages. This underscores the imperative to enhance capital‑use efficiency.
Deputy PM Tran Hong Ha urged countries to work together to remove supply chain bottlenecks, expand market access, strengthen cooperation in smart customs procedures, mutually recognise technical standards, and eliminate unnecessary protectionist barriers to boost trade and investment.
