HCM CITY — Representatives of the HCM City People’s Council and Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on friendship and cooperation on Thursday at the headquarters of the HCM City People’s Council and People’s Committee.

Võ Văn Minh, chairman of the HCM City People’s Council, highlighted that Japan is one of Việt Nam’s key partners. He noted that the city highly values its cooperation with Yamaguchi Prefecture and is committed to maintaining and strengthening the traditional friendship cultivated over many years.

The MoU establishes an official and sustainable dialogue mechanism, contributing to the development of ties between HCM City and Yamaguchi Prefecture, as well as to the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Việt Nam and Japan.

The agreement is of particular significance in three areas: reinforcing political trust, sharing policy-making experience and overseeing the implementation of cooperation programmes.

Following the signing, the chairman of the HCM City People’s Council proposed four priority areas for collaboration: exchanging experience in governance and sustainable development, improving the policy environment to facilitate economic cooperation, training officials and promoting exchanges among citizens and young people.

Shungaku Yanai, chairman of the Yamaguchi Prefectural Assembly, said the MoU, building on previous agreements, would further enhance cooperation between the two sides.

He expressed confidence that the agreement would create additional opportunities for exchange and practical collaboration, helping to foster a more comprehensive and substantive partnership. — VNS