At the meeting, the Party leader expressed his pleasure that the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan is growing steadily across all fields, with economic cooperation as its main pillar and new pillars including science and technology cooperation, cultural exchange, human resource connectivity, and increasingly practical and effective people-to-people exchanges.

Thanking Governor Kuroiwa for his sincere sentiments toward Vietnam, General Secretary To Lam highly appreciated the governor and the Kanagawa prefectural administration’s concrete contributions to stepping up friendly cooperation between the prefecture and Vietnam in economic, investment, cultural, educational, and labor aspects, as well as cooperation with Vietnamese localities.

General Secretary To Lam highlighted that Kanagawa is the first Japanese locality to organize annual festivals and investment and labor seminars both in Japan and Vietnam. He noted that these events serve as a platform to strengthen people-to-people ties, enhance mutual understanding and friendship, bolster cultural exchange, tourism, and economic cooperation, and emphasized that cultural cooperation is a key factor creating depth and a solid foundation for the Vietnam-Japan friendship and cooperation.

Governor Kuroiwa expressed his honor at meeting General Secretary To Lam and briefed him on the ongoing 6th Kanagawa Festival in Hanoi, as well as the broad array of investment promotion and business-matching activities held in the central city of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City during his visit. He noted that, ten years after the first Vietnam Festival in Kanagawa in 2015, Vietnamese businesses have begun investing in the prefecture, with 22 Vietnamese enterprises now operating in Kanagawa and 32 Kanagawa-based companies investing in Vietnam.

He affirmed that Kanagawa will further enhance cooperation with Vietnam in labor, people-to-people exchange, and cultural activities, as well as encourage local enterprises to invest in Vietnam. He expressed the willingness to share the prefecture’s experience in healthcare and aging population response through the MEBYO initiative, which focuses on promoting long and healthy lives and has been implemented locally as well as incorporated into a cooperation agreement with Vietnam’s Ministry of Health.

In agreement with the governor’s proposals, General Secretary To Lam expressed confidence that Kanagawa will continue leveraging its strengths to promote investment, cultural exchange, and human resource training with Vietnamese localities, and asked the prefecture to continue organizing Vietnam-Japan cultural festivals.

Highly appreciating the prefecture’s policies toward the Vietnamese community, the Party chief suggested Kanagawa continue providing practical support for the 40,000 Vietnamese residing, studying, and working in the prefecture, as well as for Vietnamese enterprises, and intensify exchange and sharing of experience in dealing with population aging and healthcare.

During the meeting, Governor Kuroiwa briefed General Secretary To Lam on the upcoming musical project Princess Anio, based on the true love story between Princess Ngoc Hoa and Japanese merchant Araki Shotaro in Nagasaki over 400 years ago, noting that the musical is scheduled to premiere in Kanagawa in September 2026.

HCM City, Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture enhance collaboration

The Japan Kanagawa Festival in Ho Chi Minh City was held on November 12 to promote business connections and expand cooperation between HCM City and Kanagawa, and contribute to the Vietnam-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

Japan's Kanagawa prefecture eyes deeper economic ties with HCM City

Ample room remains for cooperation between Ho Chi Minh City and Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture, especially in sectors like logistics, health care, education, and industry, heard a seminar in the southern metropolis on November 13.