Vietnamese PM hosts welcome ceremony for Japanese counterpart

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung on Saturday morning hosted an official welcome ceremony for Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, who is on a three-day official visit to Vietnam.

The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Phan Van Giang, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Dang Xuan Phong, Finance Minister Ngo Van Tuan, Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung, and Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son, among other officials.

After the welcome ceremony, the two PMs held a restricted meeting and talks to review bilateral cooperation and outline orientations for the time ahead, before witnessing the signing and exchange of collaboration agreements between Vietnam and Japan.

The leaders also visited a photo exhibition on the two countries, their people and the Vietnam-Japan relationship, organized by the Vietnamese Government Office and Vietnam News Agency.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu, the visit from May 1-3 carries significant importance, demonstrating Japan’s high regard for the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as both countries enter a new stage of development.

He noted that Vietnam is the first country in the region visited by PM Takaichi following her re-election in February 2026, reflecting Vietnam's important position in Japan’s regional policy. The visit is expected to further strengthen political trust, enhance high-level strategic exchanges, and inject new momentum into bilateral cooperation, making it more substantive and effective.

Discussions are set to focus on priority areas aligned with the strengths of both sides, including economic cooperation, science-technology, innovation, energy and food security, semiconductor production, artificial intelligence, green transition, high-quality human resources development, tourism, local-level cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges, as well as closer coordination on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

In addition to science-technology, key areas of interest include energy cooperation, smart and high-tech agriculture, infrastructure development, and strengthening resilient supply chains.

Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki said this marks PM Takaichi’s second visit to Vietnam, following her previous trip in 2020 when she served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications.

He affirmed that Japan looks forward to strengthening ties with Vietnam's leaders, including Party General Secretary and State President To Lam, PM Le Minh Hung, and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man. The visit will provide an opportunity to reaffirm enhanced coordination under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework and to address regional and global challenges.

A series of high-level meetings are expected to take place, covering issues such as energy, economic security, rare earths, and people-to-people and academic exchanges between the two countries, he said.