During the working trip to Japan, on September 20 2024, the Nghe An Provincial Delegation led by Mr. Bui Thanh An - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee cum Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee visited and worked with the ASEAN - Japan Center (AJC).

In the morning, the delegation met with Mr. Kunihiko Hirabayashi, Secretary-General of the AJC, along with the Center’s department heads, participated in the meeting.

Established in 1981 by ASEAN member states and Japan, the AJC is an intergovernmental organization promoting exports from ASEAN countries to Japan, fostering investment and tourism, and facilitating human resource exchanges through conferences, seminars, capacity-building programs, policy research, cultural events, publications and many other activities.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Thanh An presented a souvenir to with Mr. Kunihiko Hirabayashi, Secretary-General of the AJC

Mr. Kunihiko Hirabayashi expressed his pleasure in welcoming the delegation and shared that Viet Nam has the most collaborative activities with the AJC among Southeast Asian countries. He highly appreciated the proactive approach of localities like Nghe An in seeking investment opportunities.

At the meeting, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Thanh An expressed his gratitude to the AJC leadership and staff for their time and support, accompany Nghe An province in organizing the investment promotion conference for Japanese businesses in Nghe in 2024. He highlighted Nghe An's socio-economic development, emphasizing its potential in agriculture, industry, tourism, and trade. With favorable geography, improved infrastructure, and attractive investment policies, Nghe An is becoming a promising destination for international investors, including those from Japan.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed potential cooperation areas. Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee proposed collaboration in attracting investment, promoting trade, technical support, digital transformation, human resource training, leveraging Nghe An’s tourism potential, connecting and exchanging tourism between Nghe An and Japan. He expressed hope that the AJC would assist in connecting Japanese businesses with Nghe An, especially in sectors such as processing, manufacturing, high-tech agriculture, and eco-tourism. Through the meeting, Mr. Bui Thanh An also expressed his wish that AJC would support the province in participating in Expo 2025 organized by Bureau International des Expositions in Osaka, Japan.

AJC heads highly appreciated the cooperation proposals from Nghe An and commit to closely coordinate with the province in the coming time. AJC will consider appropriate support programs and committed to facilitate connections between Japanese businesses to learn about and invest in Nghe An province. The AJC also maintained regular communication to exchange information and promote effective cooperation.

The meeting concluded successfully, opening up new prospects for cooperation between Nghe Anand the AJC. This marks an important milestone in the deepening partnership, providing Nghe An with valuable opportunities to learn from Japan's economic and social development experience and promoting the province's image and potential to Japanese businesses and partners, thereby enhancing the strategic partnership between Viet Nam and Japan in the coming years.

*/ In the afternoon, in Tokyo, the Nghe An Provincial People’s Committee, in collaboration with the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan and the AJC, organized the 2024 Japanese Business Investment Promotion Conference into Nghe An Province.

The event saw the participation of Mr. Nguyen Duc Minh, Acting Ambassador of Embassy of Viet Nam in Japan, Mr. Kunihiko Hirabayashi, Secretary-General of the AJC, and numerous Japanese businesses and investors. On the side of Nghe An province, there were Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Thanh An, leaders of provincial departments, committees and sectors, and investors in infrastructure of Nghe An Industrial Park. The conference attracted the attention and active participation of the Japanese business community, investors seeking business opportunities.

Vice Chairman Bui Thanh An answers questions from Japanese investors at the conference

At the conference, Vice Chairman Bui Thanh An introduced an overview of the province’s socio-economic situation, highlighting its potential, strengths, and attractive investment policies. He emphasized that Nghe An is gradually becoming one of the most appealing investment destinations in Vietnam, with a favorable investment environment, improving infrastructure, abundant and high-quality human resources, and preferential investment policies. Nghe An is undergoing significant transformation, with large-scale projects in processing and manufacturing, high-tech agriculture, renewable energy, and tourism. It is emerging as a “fertile ground” for Japanese investors seeking long-term and sustainable business opportunities. He also expressed a strong desire to welcome attention and investment from Japanese businesses, particularly in processing and manufacturing, high-tech agriculture, renewable energy, tourism, electrical & electronics, precision engineering, semiconductor technology, automotive, automotive parts, motorcycles, food and beverage processing industries, interior furniture, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), among others.

Delegates attending the investment promotion conference in Japan in Nghe An province in 2024

During the conference, the Japanese business community expressed considerable interest, with 12 pre-submitted questions and 6 direct questions at the conference. The questions focused on investment attraction policies, industrial park infrastructure, logistics, labor recruitment and housing policies, administrative procedure reforms, and safety for investors in Nghe An. These inquiries were satisfactorily addressed by provincial leaders and infrastructure investors.

Representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan and the ASEAN Japan Center (AJC) praised Nghe An province's efforts to improve the investment environment and foster economic cooperation with Japan. The Vietnamese Embassy in Japan emphasized that in 2023, Japan-Vietnam bilateral trade reached nearly USD 45 billion, nearing pre-pandemic levels. Nghe An alone hosts 15 Japanese investment projects with a total capital of nearly USD 190 million, covering various sectors. This result is brought together by many reasons, first and foremost, from the Central Government to localities in Vietnam in general and Nghe An in particular, which has always strived to maintain macroeconomic stability and control inflation. develop, promote growth, and ensure major balances for the economy; Continuously improve the business and investment environment in the direction of harmonizing interests, strictly complying with international integration commitments and meeting world good practices in encouraging and protecting the interests of investors.

With support from the JETRO and AJC, Japanese businesses have ample opportunities to access information, gain a deeper understanding of the investment environment in Nghe An, and receive the necessary support during the investment and business process in the province.

At the conference, Japanese businesses were provided detailed information about investment projects and priority sectors in Nghe An, as well as special incentives for foreign investors. Additionally, representatives from industrial parks (Hoang Mai, WHA, VSIP) introduced their infrastructure, environment, policies, and shared their experiences investing in the parks. Representatives of Japanese businesses expressed their deep interest in investment projects in Nghe An, especially in the fields of processing industry, information technology and clean agriculture. Many enterprises requested to learn more and wished to establish long-term cooperative relationships with the province.

Nguyen Manh Loi - Director of the Center

for Investment Promotion, Trade, and Tourism