The commitment was made by JICA Senior Vice President Hayakawa Yuho during a reception in Hanoi on May 25, as part of his working visit to Vietnam.

Hayakawa told Deputy Finance Minister Tran Quoc Phuong that the agency is committed to continuing its close cooperation with Vietnamese partners and to further advancing ODA-funded projects in a more strategic and long-term manner.

He praised the country’s socio-economic achievements, recalling his earlier work in Hanoi between 2002 and 2006, when he contributed to Vietnam’s five-year socio-economic development planning and coordination with development partners, particularly in poverty reduction efforts.

Hayakawa noted that Vietnam’s current development trajectory has confirmed the effectiveness of JICA’s earlier approaches, adding that the agency stands ready to continue supporting Vietnam in its next development phase.

For his part, Phuong said Vietnam–Japan relations have continued to grow strongly in recent years, particularly following high-level exchanges between the two countries’ leaders. He affirmed that Japan is one of Vietnam’s most important economic partners, ranking first in official development assistance (ODA) and labour cooperation, third in investment and fourth in trade.

He also highlighted that in fiscal year 2025, the two sides signed three loan agreements worth nearly JPY90 billion, and expressed appreciation for JICA’s close and effective coordination in securing these outcomes.

Referring to recent high-level engagements, the Deputy Minister said both sides agreed during Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio’s visit to Vietnam in May to further deepen bilateral cooperation and elevate ties to a new level, based on mutual benefit and shared development goals.

During the meeting, both sides also discussed the development of a list of future cooperation programmes and projects. Phuong welcomed JICA’s proposals, reaffirming that the Ministry of Finance would continue to work closely with JICA to further concretise cooperation contents, contributing to Vietnam’s socio-economic development in the coming period.

JICA hails milestones in Vietnam partnership amid green, digital push

Cooperation between Vietnam and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) continued to yield tangible results in 2025, particularly as Vietnam accelerates its green transition and digital transformation, JICA Chief Representative Kobayashi Yosuke has said.