Vietnam seeks visa-free travel for its citizens to Japan

The proposal was made by Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau during a meeting with Speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives Mori Eisuke in Tokyo on June 10, as part of his visit to Japan to attend the 31st Future of Asia Conference.

According to the Deputy Prime Minister, easier travel would help strengthen tourism, people-to-people exchanges, and cooperation in economic, cultural and local-government partnerships between Vietnam and Japan.

He also urged Japan to continue creating favourable conditions for the nearly 700,000 Vietnamese citizens who are living, studying and working in the country.

At the meeting, Chau expressed satisfaction with the growing substance and effectiveness of the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

He described Japan as one of Vietnam’s most important partners and reaffirmed that Vietnam regards Japan as a sincere and trusted friend, as well as a leading partner in the country’s new development phase.

The Deputy Prime Minister proposed that both sides continue strengthening political trust through high-level exchanges and regular contacts, while enhancing cooperation between the legislative bodies of the two countries.

He noted that closer parliamentary cooperation would help improve the legal framework supporting bilateral trade, investment and economic collaboration.

In response, Mori expressed support for Vietnam’s proposals and reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to further advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across various sectors.

The Speaker emphasised that, alongside high-level exchanges, local-level cooperation and people-to-people exchanges play a vital role in ensuring the long-term development of bilateral relations.

He also praised the contributions made by the Vietnamese community to Japan’s socio-economic development and pledged continued efforts to create an equitable and supportive living and working environment for Vietnamese citizens.

Mori noted that Japan would continue working to ensure that the nearly 700,000 Vietnamese citizens in Japan can enjoy stable and prosperous lives.

He further expressed interest in promoting cooperation between Japanese and Vietnamese localities, particularly between Chiba Prefecture, which he represents, and provinces and cities in Vietnam.

Both sides agreed to strengthen exchanges between senior leaders, parliamentary bodies, specialised committees and friendship parliamentarians' groups to further deepen bilateral cooperation.

Mori also said he would seek to arrange a visit to Vietnam in the near future following an invitation from National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man.

The meeting took place as the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continues to expand across a wide range of areas, including trade, investment, local cooperation, human-resource development and people-to-people exchanges.

Earlier the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau also met with Gunma Governor Yamamoto Ichita.

Chau highly appreciated Gunma Prefecture’s contributions to promoting friendship and cooperation with Vietnam through partnerships with Vietnamese ministries, educational institutions and localities, including Ninh Binh province.

Highlighting the strong development of the Vietnam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership across all fields, he stressed that locality-to-locality cooperation and people-to-people exchanges serve as important pillars underpinning bilateral relations.

He expressed hope that Gunma would further expand cooperation with Vietnamese localities in areas where the prefecture has strengths, including manufacturing, digital transformation, agriculture, tourism and high-quality human resource development, thereby creating new momentum for Vietnam–Japan local cooperation.

For his part, Yamamoto affirmed that Vietnam is one of Gunma’s most important partners and expressed his desire to further strengthen and expand cooperation with Vietnamese provinces and cities.

He noted that Gunma is promoting a wide range of people-to-people exchange activities and supporting the more than 16,000 Vietnamese residents living in the prefecture. The governor also encouraged local businesses to expand investment and business activities in Vietnam.

Emphasising the importance of multi-level cooperation, particularly ties between local governments, Yamamoto said such cooperation would serve as a key driver for expanding practical collaboration in digital transformation, human resource development, education and training, and investment.

Both sides agreed to further strengthen connections among local authorities, businesses, universities and research institutions, helping to implement the cooperation priorities established by the leaders of Vietnam and Japan.

Ho Chi Minh City eyes Japan’s cooperation in urban development

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