The Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership has been developing rapidly and substantially in all fields of economics, politics, diplomacy, security, and defence, following the spirit of mutual understanding and respect for mutual benefit. Senior leaders of the two countries have maintained regular visits and contacts at international and regional forums. The two countries have built many important legal frameworks for bilateral relations.
Currently, both Vietnam and Japan are members of new-generation free trade agreements which promote economic integration, such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
After 50 years of establishing diplomatic relations, Vietnam-Japan economic cooperation has developed rapidly and comprehensively. Currently, Japan is the largest ODA donor, the second labour cooperation partner, the third investor, the third tourism partner, and the fourth largest trade partner of Vietnam.
Japan currently has more than 5,000 valid projects, with a total investment of nearly 70 billion USD. Japan is also Vietnam's leading ODA provider, with more than 27 billion USD in loans, which has made an important contribution to developing large-scale infrastructure projects, supporting technology transfer, enhancing human resource training, and creating motivation to promote sustainable socio-economic development for Vietnam.
The relationship between the localities from the two countries is also a bright spot, with more than 70 couples of localities having cooperation agreements.
People-to-people exchange has developed strongly and deeply, contributing to enhancing the mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples.
The total number of Vietnamese people living, working, and studying in Japan is over 470,000, making them the second largest expat community in the country of the rising sun. They have been actively contributing to the socio-economic development of Japan and are an important friendship bridge for the two countries' relations.
Vietnam ranks first in the number of foreign trainees in Japan, with more than 200,000 people. In 2022, Japan was the leading labour market, receiving the most Vietnamese human resources, with more than 67,000 people.
Vietnam is providing lots of highly skilled technical workers, information technology engineers, and implementing programmers to bring nurses and midwives to work in Japan, especially in the context that there is still a shortage of many workers in the nursing and midwifery sector in Japan.
Cooperation in education and training between the two countries has developed in many forms, with Japan being one of the largest non-refundable aid countries for the education and training sector in Vietnam.
Japan highly appreciates Vietnam's constructive role and contributions in solving international and regional issues. This has been evidenced by the fact that Japan has invited Vietnam twice to attend the expanded G7 Summits.
Japan has also affirmed Vietnam’s importance in its foreign policy in the Indo-Pacific region. Japan has continued to pay attention to and promote cooperation between the two countries in various fields, especially in supporting Vietnam to promote industrialisation, modernisation, and deep international integration, and supporting Vietnam in developing strategic infrastructure, digital transformation, green transformation, digital economy and energy transformation.
Meanwhile, Vietnam affirms Japan's role as its important and long-term partner, expressing its wish for Japan to continue playing an active and constructive role in international and regional issues.
The year 2023 marks an important milestone in Vietnam-Japan relations. The two countries' senior leaders agreed to maintain close coordination, promote dialogue mechanisms, enhance exchanges and contacts at all levels, and organise meaningful activities in the two countries on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties, such as the implementation of the Vietnam-Japan University project, and strengthening cooperation in multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations, ASEAN, and the Mekong.
