As part of their working visit to Japan, on December 15th, the Nghe An provincial delegation, led by Mr. Nguyen Van De, Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, held a meeting with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at its headquarters in Tokyo.

Attending the meeting were Ms. Tanaka, Deputy Director of the Southeast Asia & Oceania Department (JICA), along with representatives from JICA's specialized departments. Representing Nghe An province were leaders and officials from the Department of Agriculture and Environment and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

A panoramic view of the working session between the Nghe An provincial delegation and the JICA organization from Japan in Tokyo.

During the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Van De, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, expressed his gratitude to the Japanese Government and JICA for their practical and effective support to Nghe An over the years. He affirmed that Japan is one of the province's leading important foreign partners, especially in the fields of FDI, ODA, agricultural development, resource management, climate change response, and improving the lives of people in disadvantaged areas.

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee provided an overview of Nghe An province and highly appreciated JICA's contributions through many effective, impactful, and sustainable projects such as: the North Nghe An Irrigation System Restoration and Upgrade Project; the Nghe An Agricultural Sector Development Planning Project; the Community Heritage Tourism-Based Livelihood Diversification Project; the Protective Forest Management Project; and the Sanuki Garlic Value Chain Development Survey Project in Ky Son District. These projects have significantly contributed to improving agricultural management capacity, enhancing irrigation infrastructure, supporting businesses, creating sustainable livelihoods for people in mountainous areas, and strengthening Nghe An's resilience to climate change.

 Comrade Nguyen Van De, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, speaks at the working session.

In the coming period, Nghe An province proposes that JICA pay attention to supporting several key areas such as: Researching investment in a project to restore and upgrade the irrigation system in Southern Nghe An. The project has an estimated total investment of 3,500 billion VND, aiming to address drought, saltwater intrusion, and the decline in irrigation system capacity related to agricultural production in Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, and Nghi Loc districts. In addition, it proposes introducing Japanese businesses to invest in Nghe An in the fields of: processing agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products; supporting industries; recycling; and renewable energy. Simultaneously, it requests support for technology transfer and the development of high-tech, circular, and low-emission agriculture; cooperation on digital transformation in the agricultural sector; and human resource training.

Ms. Tanaka, Deputy Director of the Southeast Asia & Oceania Department (JICA), expressed her pleasure in welcoming the delegation from Nghe An province to Tokyo and highly appreciated Nghe An's development efforts in recent years. According to Ms. Tanaka, Nghe An is one of the localities where JICA has long-term partnered in Vietnam through numerous ODA projects, technical assistance, and cooperation with the private sector. The North Nghe An Irrigation Project is a key area of cooperation between JICA and the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. JICA acknowledges the proactive approach and strong commitment of the provincial government in effectively implementing supported projects such as: protective forest management, agricultural value chain development, irrigation systems, and livelihood initiatives in ethnic minority areas, which have yielded many positive results.

Ms. Tanaka also emphasized Japan's strengths in disaster prevention and environmental protection, and affirmed JICA's readiness to share experience and provide technical support to Nghe An in the areas of disaster forecasting, risk management, and climate change adaptation. Regarding the proposed South Nghe An irrigation system project, JICA acknowledged the urgent needs of the locality and requested the province to submit the official project proposal to the JICA office in Hanoi for review and coordination in the next steps.

 Ms. Tanaka, Deputy Director of the Southeast Asia & Oceania Department (JICA), speaks at the meeting.

During the meeting, the two sides also exchanged and discussed other important issues such as combating coastal erosion and landslides, challenges directly impacting the lives and property of people in coastal and mountainous areas. JICA stated that it will connect Nghe An province with specialized consulting units to gain a deeper understanding and promote cooperation in the future.

At the end of the working session, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Van De affirmed that Nghe An will seriously implement the local commitments in ODA cooperation programs; and continue to closely coordinate with JICA to research and implement new projects and programs, in line with the orientation of sustainable development cooperation between Japan and Vietnam.

Source: Nghe An Newspaper and Television (December 16, 2025)