Within the framework of the event, there were a photo exhibition, an Ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) show, art performances, and a trade and investment promotion workshop, among other activities.
Notably, 70 booths were set up by Vietnamese and Japanese firms introducing their special products and services.
Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Tran Viet Truong said the activities aim to increase cooperation opportunities between enterprises of the two countries, and contribute to deepening the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership.
Can Tho has established cooperation with Japan’s Hyogo prefecture, Okayama city and Nasushiobara city, he said, adding that the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association in Can Tho has also been formed.
Local authorities have opened Japan Desk offices in Can Tho, Tokyo and Osaka to help Japanese investors remove difficulties while investing in Can Tho, and zoned off 30 hectares of land for the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Industrial Park exclusively for Japanese investors.
Japan’s Deputy Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Ogawa Megumi said representatives from Japanese government agencies, localities, and businesses have actively participated in activities within the programme.
The same day, Truong received a delegation from Nasushiobara city of Japan’s Tochigi prefecture headed by Mayor Watanabe Michitaro, during which the two sides discussed cooperation in agriculture and tourism, especially tourism workforce.
The Japanese side suggested the two cities cooperate in workforce in the fields of catering services and tourism as restaurants and hotels in Nasushiobara are now not able to operate at full capacity due a labour shortage.
Director of the Can Tho Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Tran Thi Xuan Mai said the city sends some 300-350 labourers abroad, including Japan.
Japan is now home to about 274 labourers from the Mekong Delta city, she added.
