ĐÀ NẴNG – Japan is still seen as one of the leading strategic partners in global integration and new growth ‘era’ of the central city’s Master Plan, especially in co-operative fields of smart urban, hi-tech industries, semiconductor&AI, education, hi-quality heathcare and human resources.

Vice chairwoman of the city’s People’s Committee, Nguyễn Thị Anh Thi emphasised at the Việt Nam-Japan Conference, Japan Meet in Đà Nẵng City, stating that the central city expects a deeper ties in co-operation expansion with Japanese localities, businesses and organisations on the base of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World between Việt Nam and Japan.

She also urged more direct air routes promotions among Đà Nẵng and Japanese cities for closer linkage in investment, culture and people-to-people exchanges.

“Đà Nẵng has built up officially relationship ties with 22 prefectures and cities in Japan, of which six friendship and co-operation agreements including Kawasaki, Sakai, Yokohama, Kisarazu, Nagasaki and Kinokawa,” she said.

“Japan is currently leading in the list of investment in Đà Nẵng with 261 projects and a total capital of US$1.14 million, of which $696 million poured in the Đà Nẵng Hi-tech Park. Number of Japanese tourists had been tripled with year-on-year increase from 60,000 in 2023 to 179,000 visitors in 2024.”

The Japanese ambassador to Việt Nam, Ito Naoki said Japan supported the reform process in Việt Nam and the country’s development target of an ‘Era of Nation's Rising'.

He expects that the merger of Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam into a new Đà Nẵng City would help promote economic growth.

He said the investment and economic development in Đà Nẵng would be promoted as the city begins the construction of a series key projects including deep-sea Liên Chiểu Port, the Free Trade Zone, the International Finance Centre with a concentration in key hi-tech industries.

 

“Đà Nẵng is seen as a fully condition investment destination after HCM City and Hà Nội. The Embassy of Japan and the Consulate General of Japan in Đà Nẵng will do all best to promote the relationship between Việt Nam and Japan,” Ito Naoki said.

The ambassador suggested that Đà Nẵng should keep improving the investment environment, while boosting the business linkage ties of Vietnamese and Japanese partners in catching up with new investment opportunities.

“The resume of the Osaka-Đà Nẵng air route is a positive step in the surge of people-to-people exchange, culture and trade between Japan and Đà Nẵng. The integration of Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam would offer an attraction in tourism as Hội An is seen as a favourite destination to Japanese visitors.”

Lâm Thị Thanh Phương, from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Đà Nẵng is viewed as the first city in Việt Nam hosting the cultural festival with Japan after the mass merger among provinces and cities in the country.

She stressed that Đà Nẵng has been playing an important position the Việt Nam-Japan co-operation ties.

“The Đà Nẵng-Japan relationship is a typical sample of successful co-operation between Japan and Việt Nam as 110 twin partnerships had been built among the two countries. More than 5,000 Vietnamese IT engineers are working for 32 Việt Nam’s businesses in Japan,” Phương said.

“Japan and Việt Nam agreed to foster co-operation in economic, defence, technology, innovation, hi-quality human resources, and Việt Nam needs companion from Japan as a trust and sincere partner for bilateral benefit and effective co-operation,” she added.

Chief representative of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in Hà Nội, Haruhito Ozasa said Việt Nam is one of three favourite investment destinations that Japanese businesses want to expand their projects after India and Bangladesh.

He said many Japanese investors have plans to move from developed countries in Asia and Oceania to developing countries, and Việt Nam will be an option for investment flow in sector of retails, consuming, service and insurance.

The expansion in service and retails investment projects of Japanese businesses in Việt Nam aims to provide consumer goods and service for Japanese community in Việt Nam, but local community as well, Haruhito Ozasa speculated.

Chairman of the Japanese Chamber and Commerce Association in HCM City, Kunihide Kume said number of Vietnamese working in Japan, and Japanese businesses operating in Việt Nam have been increasing in recent decades.

He said at least 600,000 Vietnamese labourers are working and studying in Japan, while 2,000 Japanese enterprises are operating in Việt Nam.

Investment from Japan in manufacture and processing sector has decreased from 50 per cent to 20 per cent, while non-production industries from Japan have been pouring into Việt Nam, he said.

Kunihide Kume said that Đà Nẵng would draw investment attraction by implementing a series of key projects including the FTZ, Liên Chiểu sea port with preferential policies of tax and logistics service.

He suggested that it needs develop hi-quality human resources, education, infrastructure, hi-tech health care and business supportive service for hosting Japanese investment in the coming time.

Okada Masaki, management division director of Aeon Mall Việt Nam shared the Japanese retailer has operated seven centres in Việt Nam since it began investment in 2014, and Đà Nẵng City-based Aeon Mall in the downtown Thanh Khê will be developed on 33,000sq.m as the eighth in Việt Nam.

He said Đà Nẵng has been challenging in attracting global famous brands in retails and offering logistics solutions for partners in the service sector.

Odaka Yoshimune, President of Mikazuki Corporation, an investor of the $168.16 million Đà Nẵng Mikazuki Resort & Spa in Đà Nẵng unveiled that the first five-star resort from Japan hosted 660,000 visitors with revenue in the top-30 list of five-star hotels in resorts in Đà Nẵng.

He said the 324-room resort had operated with an average of 70 per cent, and it plans to invest 3 billion of Japanese Yen (US$20 million) in expanding the resort for hosting more tourists.

Nakaura Masashi, head representative office of Senshu Ikeda Bank in HCM City, Đà Nẵng would create a huge attraction to Japanese and Vietnamese businesses with a development design as a ‘Silicon Bay’ destination and a base of semiconductor&AI manufacturing centre.

He said the bank would open its branch in Đà Nẵng City in providing wider service for customers and investors.

Vice director of Đà Nẵng City’s Industry and Trade Department, Đỗ Thị Quỳnh Trâm said the department has been assigned of providing the Certificate of Origin (CO) for exporters in easing conditions in trade between Đà Nẵng and Japan from October.

She urged successful investors from Japan in Đà Nẵng including Mabuchi Motor Đà Nẵng and Daiwa Việt Nam offering more opportunities for local companies joining the supportive industries chain.

Two Japanese manufacturer – Tokyo Keiki Precision Technology Inc and Niwa Foundry  -- were the first ever investors docking at the Đà Nẵng Hi-tech Park from 2013, while Fujikin Incorporated from Japan later launched its $35-million Research, Development and Manufacture Centre there.

FPT Software, a company of FPT Group, had completed the 10,000-Bridge Software Engineer (BrSE) programme in Japan as part of its human resource strategy for boosting the Japanese IT market.

Japanese firms Sun Frontier and Cosmos Housing started constructing two property projects in the city

The Cosmos Housing company broke ground on its twin tower trading house project Đà Nẵng Landmark with an investment of VNĐ1.6 trillion (US$64 million).

Meanwhile, Sun Frontier also began constructing its Hiyori Aqua Tower, the company's second project in Đà Nẵng after its Hiyori Garden Tower was built in 2019.

Investment from Japan contributed a 30 per cent share of total FDI investment in the city, the city’s investment promotion agency reported.

Import-export turnover between Japan and Đà Nẵng reached $1 billion, including $650 million in exports to Japan. 

Đà Nẵng has called for further and deeper investment from Japan in semi conductors, AI, IT and green growth technologies.

Yokohama and Sakai have been supporting Đà Nẵng in building a carbon neutral model at Đà Nẵng Port and industrial parks in ‘green’ industries transformation. VNS