At the meeting, Deputy PM Le Thanh Long praised Takebe’s longstanding efforts and contributions to advancing Vietnam–Japan friendship and cooperation, particularly in cultural and people-to-people exchange, locality-to-locality cooperation, and especially in the field of education and human resources development. He noted Takebe’s instrumental role in promoting the Vietnam–Japan University project over the years.

He expressed satisfaction at the continued progress in bilateral ties, highlighting that the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has now entered its second year with strong, substantive, and effective development built on high political trust.

Sharing this view, Takebe Tsutomu emphasized that the Vietnam–Japan University is a meaningful and symbolic project, receiving attention from the top leaders of both countries. He expressed hope that the Vietnamese Government would continue to support the project.

According to Takebe, thanks to Vietnam’s assistance, the university has achieved encouraging results. Recently, several students from the university’s first graduating class were hired by Japanese institutions and were highly regarded by their employers.

He also shared several upcoming initiatives by the university, including plans to establish a Center for Information Technology Training, a Human Resource Development and Career Guidance Center, and a range of new academic programs.

By 2025, the university aims to have around 2,000 students and to launch a new major in semiconductor engineering. From October 2025, the university is expected to begin receiving Vietnamese interns who have completed training programs in Japan and hold a Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) level N4 or higher. These interns will receive further skill enhancement and certification, and may be referred back to Japan for high-skilled employment.

Takebe Tsutomu said that the Japanese Government and people value Vietnam’s contributions to human resources and hold Vietnamese interns in high regard for their intelligence, diligence, and potential. With Japan’s population in decline and many small and medium-sized enterprises facing labor shortages, he said there is growing interest in investing in Vietnam. In this context, the Vietnam–Japan University could serve as a foundation for introducing, and supporting Japanese businesses seeking to invest in the country.

On people-to-people ties, Takebe announced that the Vietnam Festival in Hokkaido is scheduled for September 2025. The event aims to further strengthen the friendship between the people of both countries, especially the 14,000 Vietnamese nationals currently living, studying, and working in Hokkaido. He also expressed hope of expanding the festival to other localities, with plans to hold the event in three Japanese cities next year.

In response, Deputy PM Le Thanh Long welcomed the information Takebe shared and remarked that the fact many graduates have secured jobs at Japanese institutions and businesses reflects the strong training quality of the Vietnam–Japan University. He noted that the Vietnamese Government had recently taken strong measures to expedite the project’s administrative procedures, and that key issues such as model orientation, training scale, technology selection, and investment ratio had largely been resolved.

He expressed hope that Takebe will continue to promote the university’s development in line with the two countries’ needs and with Vietnam’s science, technology, digital transformation, and innovation strategies by focusing on training high-quality human resources in semiconductors and digital skills.

Long also called on Takebe to further augment locality-to-locality cooperation between the two countries across all sectors, particularly between Takebe’s home region of Hokkaido and Vietnamese localities.

Vietnamese community in Japan strengthens bonds among members

The Union of Vietnamese Associations in Japan held its congress at the headquarters of the Vietnamese Embassy on April 6.

Japan provides aid for gender-equal learning environments in Vietnam

VOV.VN - The Japanese Embassy in Vietnam and Plan International Japan signed a grant aid agreement in Hanoi on March 25 to implement a project on improving gender-equal learning environments in primary and secondary schools in northern Ha Giang and Lai Chau provinces.