Vice Chairman of the HCM City People's Committee Võ Văn Hoan (right) and Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Komura Masahiro had talks in HCM City on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Tiến Lực

HCM CITY — Vice Chairman of the HCM City People's Committee Võ Văn Hoan hosted a reception on September 24 for Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Komura Masahiro, who is in HCM City for the Friendship Dialogue and Economic Forum 2024.

Hoan urged the two countries' localities, ministries, and agencies to adapt their cooperative relationships to meet current challenges, building on the strong diplomatic ties between Việt Nam and Japan.

He lauded Japan's instrumental role in developing HCM City's metro line 1, hailing it as symbol of the strong bond between the two nations. With a target to expand the urban railway network by an additional 180km by 2035, Hoan expressed his hope that Japan will continue to support this infrastructure expansion, leveraging the new generation ODA model to provide knowledge, technology and financial aid

The host suggested the official assist in encouraging the Japanese Government and JICA to prioritise cooperation in urban development in HCM City using the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) model, an area where Japan has extensive experience. He also stressed the importance of collaboration in training and developing quality human resources, particularly in semiconductor and artificial intelligence.

To bolster this vision, he revealed the city's aspiration to establish a Japanese hi-tech industrial park and expressed its commitment to facilitating Japanese investment.

Komura, in turn, noted that the elevation of Việt Nam - Japan ties to comprehensive strategic partnership has paved the way for stronger bilateral ties.

Japan attaches importance to its cooperation with HCM City, considering it a gateway to expand collaboration with other southern Vietnamese localities, he said, hoping that the city's investment environment would continue to improve, attracting an ever-growing number of Japanese firms. — VNS