National Assembly Vice President Nguyễn Thị Thanh (right) had talks with Saito Hiroaki, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives and Chair of its Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on September 3. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam regards Japan as one of its most important and long-term strategic partners and a trusted companion in the new era of development, National Assembly (NA) Vice President Nguyễn Thị Thanh said while receiving Saito Hiroaki, a member of the Japanese House of Representatives and Chair of its Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, together with lawmakers from Japan's Liberal Democratic Party and Centrist Reform Alliance, in Hà Nội on Thursday.

At the meeting, Thanh emphasised that Japan continues to be Việt Nam's number-one partner in providing non-refundable aid in education and healthcare. Cooperation between the two parliaments remains close, with diverse areas of collaboration and flexible forms of engagement, while the two sides coordinate closely at multilateral forums.

The NA Vice President spoke highly of the successful visit to Việt Nam by Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae in early May, saying it had opened up many new opportunities for cooperation in science and technology, innovation, high-quality human resources training, digital transformation, green transformation, semiconductors and artificial intelligence (AI).

Deeply impressed by Việt Nam's dynamic development, Saito affirmed that the Japanese parliament supports Việt Nam and stands ready to work with the country to achieve its development goals in the coming period.

Thanh shared that the Vietnamese NA is continuing to renew its legislative thinking, improve the quality of oversight, and urgently complete the legal framework to promote science and technology, build a high-quality workforce, and create a favourable environment for international cooperation, with joint work with Japan among its priorities.

She proposed that the Committee on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology continue to promote bilateral exchanges of high-ranking delegations, specialised committees and friendship parliamentary groups, while strengthening coordination at multilateral forums such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF), Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting (ASEP) and UNESCO.

The NA Vice President called on Japan to support Việt Nam in removing legal bottlenecks related to technology transfer and intellectual property protection, and facilitate visas and welfare arrangements for experts, scientists, students and skilled workers from both countries. She also urged Japan to support and strengthen links between research institutes and universities, and implement joint research projects in key areas such as semiconductors, AI, quantum technology, space technology, biotechnology and healthcare.

Thanh also proposed that the two sides shift their mindset from support to co-creation, increase the number of scholarships for Vietnamese students and postgraduate researchers in high-tech fields, and asked the Japanese parliament to pay attention to and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese people living, studying and working in Japan.

Agreeing with his host, Saito stressed that the committee wishes to promote cooperation between the two parliaments and increase delegation exchanges between relevant committees and lawmakers from both sides.

He said the two countries have significant opportunities and potential to boost cooperation in areas such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, semiconductor technology and high-quality human resources development, expressing his desire to work closely with the Vietnamese NA to advance cooperation in these fields.

At the meeting, Thanh asked Saito to convey her greetings and extended an invitation to the Speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives to pay an official visit to Việt Nam soon. — VNA/VNS