Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn meet Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Moriyama Masahito on April 29 — VNA/VNS Photo Trịnh Thị Ngọc Anh

HÀ NỘI — Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn on April 29 hosted visiting Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Moriyama Masahito, during which the two sides discussed the possibility of promoting culture, education, science, and technology cooperation in the time to come.

The two ministers highly valued the comprehensive and substantive development of the Việt Nam-Japan friendship and cooperation in various fields, notably the elevation of the relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia and the world, and the organisation of over 500 commemorative activities marking the 50th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2023.

They applauded the cooperation between the two countries across various sectors, from economy, labour, science and technology, to education, culture, and tourism, which have recovered after the COVID-19 pandemic and been continuously strengthened.

Affirming that cooperation in the fields of science - technology, education, and culture is a important pillar of the cooperation between the two countries in the coming time, Sơn suggested Japan enhance cooperation with Việt Nam in training human resources, strategic-level personnel training, and vocational training; increase the number of long-term and short-term scholarships and provide Japanese language training for Vietnamese students; and support Việt Nam in developing human resources in new fields such as digital transformation, green transformation, and semiconductor industry.

He called on Minister Moriyama to support and promote the simplification of visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens by Japan to intensify the people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

For his part, the Japanese official expressed his gratitude for the sympathy and support of the Government and people of Việt Nam for Japan, which suffered from the earthquake in Ishikawa prefecture and neighbouring areas earlier this year.

Emphasising the importance of promoting cultural, educational, scientific, and technological cooperation within the overall bilateral relationship, Moriyama agreed to consider increasing the number of scholarships for Vietnamese students and offering undergraduate education programmes in English to provide opportunities for Vietnamese students to study in Japan; and continuing to effectively implement study tour programmes for students of the two nations.

He stated that he will propose to the Japanese government to implement preferential policies and facilitate visa procedures and improve living conditions for Vietnamese workers and their relatives in Japan.

The Japanese official also showed his desire to promote cooperation between the two countries in the field of cultural heritage conservation, affirming Japan's willingness to continue supporting Việt Nam in preserving current heritage sites such as the Thăng Long Imperial Citadel and the Hội An heritage site. — VNS