Japanese investors’ confidence in Vietnam increasing: JETRO Vice President

Shigetoshi Aoyama, JETRO Executive Vice President, speaks at the forum. (Photo: VNA)

Tokyo (VNA) - Japanese investors’ confidence in Vietnam has still been increasing despite adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shigetoshi Aoyama,Executive Vice President of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), has said.

Speaking at the Vietnam-Japan trade and investmentforum in Tokyo on August 24, Aoyama said the free trade policy and efforts inattracting investors and improving the business environment by the VietnameseGovernment have helped to raise the confidence of Japanese firms.

According to the Vice President, after Vietnamrelaxed its entry restrictions last March, JETRO had received many requestsregarding trading activities in Vietnam.

Aoyama cited a recent survey by JETRO showing that over55% of Japanese companies want to expand their business in Vietnam in this andnext year, the highest among Southeast Asian nations.

Trade between Vietnam and Japan has also grown amidthe pandemic, he said, adding that the bilateral trade value last year doubled thatrecorded 10 years ago, and Japan’s investment in the Southeast Asian nationamounted to 3.65 billion USD, tripling the figure in 2020.

An overview of the forum (Photo: VNA)

The forum was held by the Vietnamese Ministry ofIndustry and Trade (MoIT) and Embassy in Japan in coordination with JETRO andthe ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), with the participation of more than 100representatives from associations and businesses of the two countries, includingJapanese companies operating in the areas in which Vietnam interested likeenergy, technology, logistics and real estate.

MoIT Minister Nguyen Hong Dien called on Japanesefirms to increase their investments in Vietnam and expand operations to theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other markets that sign freetrade agreements with Vietnam.

Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien speaks at the forum. (Photo: VNA)

The minister said he is ready to hear opinions fromJapanese enterprises and investors to better improve the business environmentin Vietnam.

The participating businesses explored cooperationand investment opportunities at the forum.

On the sidelines of the event, Vietnam’s T&TGroup JSC and Marubeni Corporation of Japan exchanged a memorandum ofunderstanding (MoU) on cooperation in energy./.

VNA