Tokyo (VNA) – Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Dinh LaThang has suggested enterprises from Japan’s Hyogo prefecture expand investmentand enhance partnerships with the Vietnamese locality.

Thang, who is visiting Japan, made the suggestion at a conference to promoteeconomic cooperation between the two localities on April 12.

He said HCM City wishes to promote industrial production, high technology, seaportservice and high-tech agriculture, which are strengths of Hyogo.

However, he noted that Hyogo has only 22 businesses operating in HCM City, expressinghis desire for more firms from the Japanese locality to invest in the city.

HCM City authorities pledge to create favourable conditions for foreignenterprises, including those Hyogo to operate in the city, he stated.

For his part, Governor of Hyogo prefecture Toshizo Ido said Vietnam is anattractive destination for investors thanks to the country’s young workforce,stable politics and safety.

According to Ido, about 1,500 Japanese firms are operating in Vietnam.

Economic, tourism and culture exchange helped promote the friendship betweenHCM City and Hyogo, he said, adding that the conference contributes to enhancingrelations between the two localities and their enterprises.

Atthe conference, participants were updated on HCM City’s economic developmentand policies to encourage investment and promote support industry and projects thatthe city is calling for investment in.

According to Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Planning andInvestment Tran Thi Binh Minh, HCM City authorities have taken measures toboost administrative reform and developed infrastructure to attract moreinvestors.

The city is developing a 13ha industrial zone to serve Japanese businesses, shesaid.


Duringtheir meeting earlier the same day, Vietnamese and Japanese officialshighlighted great potential for the two localities to cooperate in industry andseaport development.

Theyhoped more economic and investment promotion activities between the two sideswill be organised.

Secretary Thang called on Toshizo Ido, who is also Chairman of the Union ofKansai Governments, to promote links not only between the two localities, butalso between Vietnam’s southeast key economic area and the Kansai region.

Japanranks fourth in term of total new registered-investment in HCM City with 1,001 projectsworth 3.54 billion USD. Japanese investors mainly operate in processing andmanufacturing industry, retail service, and science and technology-relatedsectors.-VNA