Viet Nam, Japan should elevate economic connectivity: Top leader To Lam
To Lam starts four-day official visit to Japan
Three key strategic aspects of To Lam’s upcoming official visit to Japan
The top Vietnamese leader and his spouse is on an official visit to Japan from November 8–11 at the invitation of the Japanese State.
Viet Nam and Japan officially established diplomatic relations on September 21, 1973. Over the past more than five decades, the relationship has grown increasingly closer and stronger.
In November 2023, the two nations lifted their ties into a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world.
As of July 2026, Japan has 5,800 valid projects in Viet Nam with a total investment capital of over US$80.4 billion, ranking third among nations and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.
Bilateral trade in the first 8 months of this year reached US$33.7 billion, representing a year-on-year increase of 27 percent.
The Vietnamese community in Japan numbers over 520,000 people, with an increasing proportion of high-quality intellectuals and laborers. Currently, there are about 7,000 Vietnamese IT engineers working in Japan.
In an interview with the press ahead of the visit, Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Ito Naoki said To Lam's Japan visit would help further promote friendship and cooperation between the two countries under the framework of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World.
It will be the first visit to Japan by a Vietnamese General Secretary in 11 years and the fifth visit to Japan by a General Secretary.
The visit takes place after Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae's visit to Viet Nam in May this year, stressed the diplomat, adding that it would provide an opportunity to elevate the Japan-Viet Nam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to a new level.
Following the welcome ceremony, the two leaders held talks./.
