ĐÀ NẴNG — The central city’s Investment Promotion Centre has inked an Information Technology (IT) investment agreement between the Self Wing Việt Nam Company and the Saitama Business New Forum from Japan.

The agreement, which was signed at a conference on IT and Communication Investment and Co-operation between Japan and Đà Nẵng yesterday, is the first instance of Japanese IT investment in Đà Nẵng and the beginning of an effort to lure investment flow from Japan to the central city and central Việt Nam.

Over 160 representatives from Japan Trade Promotion Agency, Tokyo Business Association and Japanese Business Association—as well as 37 Japanese investors—paid a field trip to explore co-operation and investment opportunity at the city’s Industrial Parks and its Information Technology Park.

According to latest report from city’s administration, Đà Nẵng has drawn 423 foreign direct investment projects worth US$3.7 billion. Of that number, 55 IT projects have raised over $12 million in capital.

Tokyo Keiki Inc. and Niwa Foundry were the first two investors in the 1,010-ha Hi-Tech Park, with a total investment of $62 million.

Right now, Japanese investors bring the city a total of $500 million, creating 40,000 jobs for the city and neighbouring provinces.

The city’s Investment Promotion Centre also debuted its Japanese Desk Đà Nẵng team, which will be available every Wednesday to support Japanese investors by explaining administrative procedure, investment licences and priority policies, or helping with any other adjustments.

Đà Nẵng and Japan will start construction of the first Việt Nam-Japan Culture Exchange Park this October, and it will reserve a 134ha industrial park for medium and small-size businesses from Japan.

A direct flight between Narita and Đà Nẵng was opened in 2014, and a new Đà Nẵng-Osaka flight is expected to open this October.

A recent survey of Shoko Chukin Bank from Japan showed that 40.7 per cent of 3,750 respondents from various Japanese businesses in Japan said they would invest in Việt Nam.

According to the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), 66 per cent of the 458 Japanese firms based in Việt Nam planned to expand their business during the next one or two years.

The city planned to build an industrial park spread over 134ha for medium and small-size businesses from Japan.

Last year, FPT Software, a company of FPT Group, began the 10,000-Bridge Software Engineer (BrSE) programme in Japan as part of its human resource strategy in the 2014-18 period, and a key project for boosting the Japanese IT market by 2020. — VNS