Japanese businesses from Gunma prefecture, Japan join  the Meet Gunma Enterprises in Đà Nẵng City. Japanese enterprises will seek investment opotunities in the beach city in the coming years. VNS Photo Công Thành

ĐÀ NẴNG — Việt Nam, now one of the world’s top three manufacturing hubs after China and Thailand, hosts 60 businesses from Japan’s Gunma prefecture, with many more investors planning new facilities or expanded operations in the near future.

President of Gunma Bank Akihiko Fukai said at the Meet Gunma Enterprises event in Đà Nẵng City that Việt Nam offers a young, well-trained workforce, with particularly high-quality human resources in information technology.

He added that Đà Nẵng, which has achieved an impressive economic growth index and offers strong industrial park infrastructure, has attracted attention from Japanese businesses in Gunma in sectors including tourism, trade, hotels and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).

Fukai also noted that 14,000 Vietnamese people live and work in Gunma prefecture, forming the largest expatriate community in the region.

Director of Đà Nẵng’s Foreign Affairs Department Nguyễn Xuân Bình said Gunma is seen as a key potential partner in investment areas including hi-tech industries, trade and services, automobiles, manufacturing and agriculture.

Bình added that Japanese investors have poured more than US$1 billion into 220 projects in Đà Nẵng, placing the city at the top of the investment rankings.

He highlighted that Đà Nẵng provides ideal conditions for Japanese investors, with two international airports, three deep-sea ports, and plans for a Free Trade Zone and an International Finance Centre.

Shimonishi Kiyoshi, Deputy Head of the Japanese General Consulate in Đà Nẵng, emphasised that diplomatic relations between Japan and Việt Nam are at their strongest in history, and that the Meet Gunma Enterprises event will further promote friendship, exchanges and co-operation between the two localities.

An automobile workshop reserves practical courses for students at Đà Nẵng City's Đông Á University. The University has built it a hi-quality human resources for Japanese labour markets and Japanese investors in Đà Nẵng and central Việt Nam. Photo courtesy of Phương Chi

He said Đà Nẵng is seen as one of the most popular destinations in Việt Nam for Japanese businesses.

San-Ei Technology Việt Nam, a steel trade and steel recycling company from Kuragano, Japan, exemplifies investment from Gunma, Shimonishi Kiyoshi said.

He expressed his hope that many more Japanese investors would flock to the central city in the near future.

The meet involved the participation of 20 Gunma-based enterprises operating in automotive spare parts and accessories, electronic component manufacturing, mechanical engineering, medical supplies and nursing, construction and interior design, and food processing industries.

According to a report from the city’s Industry and Trade Department, Japan is a major export market for Đà Nẵng’s products, including seafood, garments, electronics, fine arts, wooden chips and toys.

Import-export turnover between Japan and the city reached $1 billion in 2024, with Đà Nẵng’s exports to Japan totalling $650 million.

The beach city has signed cooperation agreements with Kisarazu, Kawasaki, Sakai and Yokohama, and has hosted an annual Việt Nam-Japan Cultural Exchange Day since 2014.

Mikazuki Hotel Group of Japan is one of the most successful investors in Đà Nẵng, officially opening its $168.16 million Đà Nẵng Mikazuki Resort & Spa.

Two Japanese investors — Tokyo Keiki Precision Technology Inc and Niwa Foundry — were the first to invest in Đà Nẵng Hi-tech Park in 2013, while Fujikin Incorporated launched its $35-million Research, Development and Manufacturing Centre at the park.

Yokohama and Sakai have supported Đà Nẵng in building a neutral carbon model at Đà Nẵng Port and in industrial parks as part of the city’s transformation towards green industries.