That the existing Japanese Consular Office in Da Nang will be developed into the Japanese Consulate General in the coming time, following recent approval from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is really a good sign, marking an important step to boost the time-honoured cooperation between the two countries. The Da Nang authorities, therefore, will facilitate the opening of this noticeable diplomatic agency ‘the sooner the better’.

Da Nang Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Quang presenting a momento to Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Yamada Takio during their Wednesday meeting

The statement was confirmed by Da Nang Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Quang during his Wednesday reception for Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Yamada Takio.

Japan is the number one source of foreign direct investment (FDI) for Da Nang with a total sum of more than 950 million US$. It is worth hailing that Japanese businesses in Da Nang have maintained their stable and effective operation, hereby significantly helping boost the city’s socio-economic progress.

The Da Nang Party chief asked for more support from the Japanese diplomat  to encourage more potential Japanese investors to expand business in the dynamic central Vietnamese city in such priority aspects as tourism, high technology and IT.

In reply, Ambassador Yamada Takio expressed his hope that, once the global COVID-19 pandemic is sucessfully contained in the time ahead, Da Nang, and Viet Nam as a whole, will remain an attractive magnet for international investors.

The Japanese guest pledged to make his greater efforts to strengthen the Viet Nam-Japan friendship and lifting the bilateral extensive strategic partnership to a new height, so as to make it more comprehensive, practical, and effective, for the benefit of the people of the two countries.

He also asked for help from Da Nang government  to pay more attention to the life of Japanese ex-pats living and working in the city, as well as to handle necessary procedures regarding entry, exit and residence of Japanese nationals in the city.

Also on the same day, Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh played host to Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Yamada Takio and Head of the existing Japanese Consular Office in Da Nang Yakabe Yoshinori.

The municipal government chief highly hailed the recent opening of Water Park 365 at the under-construction large-scale Da Nang – Mikazuki Japanese Resorts & Spa project, which will become a new special, high-quality tourism and real estate service in Da Nang, hereby promoting the robust development of the local tourism industry.

Till date, Da Nang has entered into memoranda of understanding to establish an official friendship and cooperation ties with four Japanese cities in the aspects of human resource exchanges, education- training and tourism.

In particular, Chairman Chinh asked Ambassador Yamada Takio to encourage more Japanese businesses to pour money into such Da Nang’s key projects as Lien Chieu mega-port, the relocation of the Da Nang Railway Station and urban redevelopment, and the turning Da Nang into a smart and environmentally-friendly city.

Given the growing educational cooperation ties between Da Nang and Japan, Ambassador Yamada Takio vowed to urge the Da Nang chapter of the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Viet Nam to provide more active support for Japanese volunteers who are in charge of teaching the Japanese language to students across the city.

By TRONG HUNG, LAM PHUONG- Translated by A.T