Kanagawa governor visits Vietnam to promote friendly relations

Since 2015, the Kanagawa Prefectural Government has held “Vietnam Festa in Kanagawa,” the largest-scale Vietnam event in the country, jointly with the Vietnamese Embassy to Japan. In the business field, the prefecture is actively supporting Kanagawa-based companies entering the Vietnamese market, and promoting Kanagawa's appeal to Vietnamese tourists.

To further develop friendly relations and the business partnership, Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa made a trip to Vietnam from July 11 to 16.

The highlights of his visit were:

Signing of MOU with Hanoi Medical University

Hanoi Medical University established the Nutrition Department as the first one of its kind in Vietnam in 2013 with cooperation from Kanagawa University of Human Services. Governor Kuroiwa visited the university on July 12 to enhance the two universities’ achievements. He signed the MOU for the establishment of a registered dietitian system.

Development of Business Exchanges

On July 13, the Kanagawa Tourism Seminar was held at a hotel in Hanoi City to introduce various features of Kanagawa’s tourism. The seminar attracted over 100 participants from local travel agencies and media.

Following the tourism seminar, Governor Kuroiwa gave a presentation on the investment environment and Healthcare New Frontier policy package, one of his key measures, as well as the investment incentive measures of Select Kanagawa 100. Representatives of some Vietnamese companies who had a face-to-face meeting with Kuroiwa showed their intention to start doing business in Kanagawa.

The business seminar was joined by a Kanagawa business mission, which consisted of 17 Kanagawa-based small and medium-sized companies. They had a networking meeting with Vietnamese companies.

Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa, left, meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi.

Meeting with Prime Minister

Governor Kuroiwa had a meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and talked about the achievements of his visit. He also informed the prime minister about Vietnam Festa in Kanagawa that he planned to hold for the third time and on a great scale this year, too. Prime Minister Phuc said he would provide a more favorable investment environment for Kanagawa companies, as their business expansion to Vietnam would be beneficial for both countries.

As for Vietnam Festa, Prime Minister Phuc expressed his gratitude to Kuroiwa for his initiative, and offered further cooperation for the event. He also expressed hope that the friendly relationship with Kanagawa would be the model of exchange activities with other local governments in Japan.

Photos above and below: Kanagawa Governor Yuji Kuroiwa attends the Feel Japan in Vietnam 2017 in Ho Chi Minh City, an exposition to spread Japanese culture and tourism.

Feel Japan in Vietnam

On July 15, Governor Kuroiwa attended Feel Japan in Vietnam 2017 in Ho Chi Minh City, an exposition to spread Japanese culture and tourism. In front of many people who came to the exposition with a great interest in Japan, he made a presentation on sightseeing spots in Kanagawa and held a quiz tournament, aiming to boost the popularity of the prefecture.

Kanagawa Prefectural Government officials said Kuroiwa's visit has produced great achievements in promotion of investment and tourism in both Kanagawa and Vietnam and said they expect the relationship to deepen even more.

Vietnam Festa in Kanagawa will be held from Friday Sept 15 to Sunday Sept 17. For further information, please click here.