Ambassador Binh also handed over the Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s insignia to Japanese businessman Ito Toyokichi in recognition of his contributions to disseminating Vietnam’s culture to Japanese and Korean people.

Addressing the presentation ceremony in Tokyo on March 9, Ambassador Binh noted the Vietnam-Japan relationship has steadily developed since it was established 37 years ago.

Over the past 20 years, Kubota and his colleagues at the institute have provided their economic assessments of Vietnam to Japanese investors. He has also helped the Japanese business circle understand Vietnam’s situation in order to increase their investment in the country.

The institute has also represented a number of Vietnamese localities, including the northern port city of Hai Phong, the central coast city of Da Nang and the Central Highland province of Lam Dong, in investment promotion activities in Japan.

Meanwhile, Ito has collected Vietnamese paintings and introduced them to the people of Japan and the Republic of Korea. These activities have helped promote the image of the Vietnamese people and their land in northeast Asia.

For their part, both Kubota and Ito pledged to continue promoting the Vietnam-Japan strategic partnership.