Officials of Ho Chi Minh City met with leaders of Japan’s Nagano prefecture on April 10, expressing their willingness to step up bilateral cooperation in agriculture, hi-tech industry, vocational training, education and health care.

At the meeting with Nagano Governor Shuichi Abe, Chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong said he was very impressed with the precision mechanics sector as well as the training quality and curriculum of universities in Nagano when he visited two businesses in Suwa region, dubbed “Switzerland of the East”, and two universities.

This Japan trip aims to seek more cooperation opportunities in agriculture, hi-tech industry, vocational training, education and health care, he said, noting that Nagano is strong at manufacturing, supporting industries and agriculture, which are also the fields that HCM City wants to promote.

Aside from growing economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, the Nagano-Vietnam Exchange Association is also an important contributor to the relations between HCM City and Nagano.

Phong asked for the Governor’s support for the establishment of the friendship between District 1 of HCM City and Matsumoto city of Nagano.

Meanwhile, Governor Shuichi Abe expressed his hope that basing on the signed cooperation agreements, the two sides will increase economic cooperation and cultural exchange activities.

He noted about 2,100 Vietnamese people are working in his prefecture, calling for more support for manpower exchange between the two localities. Nagano also wants to receive more students and labourers from Vietnam.

As Nagano has potential for agriculture, it hopes to help Vietnam in agricultural development, Abe said, adding that the prefecture wants HCM City to help bring local agricultural products to the Vietnamese market.

Meeting with Chairman of the prefecture’s council Kiyoshi Suzuki, Phong said in less than two years since the first visit to HCM City by the Nagano Governor in October 2016, the city’s leaders have visited Nagano twice, which reflects HCM City’s wish to boost cooperation with the Japanese locality.

Discussing cooperation in human resources, he said the quality of manpower has yet to meet his city’s development demand. He hopes that Nagano prefecture’s council will have cooperation programmes and share experience with HCM City to ensure the best life quality for people in both localities.

Also on April 10, the Vietnamese delegation visited the Global Aqua Innovation Centre of the Shinshu University. Chairman Phong said HCM City is facing major challenges posed by environmental pollution and climate change. He asked the Shinshu University and Nagano to help his city seek solutions to protect the environment and use water resources sustainably, while implementing other cooperation programmes to benefit both sides.

VNA/VNP