Prime Minister Le Minh Hung chaired a working meeting with Japanese companies in Hue City and outlined a policy of promoting investment ties and pursuing mutual development. He also expressed his intention to deepen economic cooperation between the two countries through collaboration with Japanese companies and referred to the outlook for expanded trade.
On the morning of 6 September, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung chaired a working meeting with Japanese companies in Hue City as part of the Vietnam-Japan Local Cooperation Forum 2026, co-hosted by Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hue City and the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam. Representatives of the Japanese embassy, institutions and companies attended the meeting, while Vietnam was represented by officials from relevant government departments.
According to reports presented at the meeting, bilateral trade between Vietnam and Japan reached $33.7 billion in 2026, up year on year, with exports from Vietnam to Japan totaling approximately $17.6 billion and imports from Japan approximately $16.1 billion. Cumulative Japanese foreign direct investment in Vietnam reached approximately $80.3 billion, while Japan remained one of the largest providers of ODA.
The prime minister stated that Vietnam would strengthen cooperation in areas including science and technology, innovation, digital transformation and green transformation, and pursue high-quality foreign direct investment projects. He called on Japanese companies to support greater investment transparency and streamlined procedures, and instructed government agencies and the private sector to work together in practical terms to resolve issues.
The two countries confirmed that their future cooperation would shift toward a partnership centered on mutual development and innovation. Japan outlined plans to focus on priority areas including high-tech agriculture, infrastructure, digitalization, human resources development and semiconductors, while implementing high-quality ODA and strengthening cooperation with domestic companies.