HCM City (VNA) – Special advisor to the Japanese Prime Minister Iijima Isao said he expected strong Japanese investment flow into Vietnam, particularly Ho Ch🅷i Minh City, in the coming years, given the great potential of the southern metropolis.

Addressing a conference promoting investment and tourism between Vietnam and Japan on April 22 in Ho Chi Minh City, the special advisor hailed the close cooperation between the two nations, as seen in trade exchanges and connection among their enterprises. Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong affirmed that the city welcomes and provides favourable conditions for foreign investors, including those from Japan. He noted that the city needs investment in agriculture, tourism, communication and information technology, flood solutions, urban railway and health care, which are sectors Japanese businesses are capable of investment. This will be a prerequisite to help foster the cooperative ties between Japan and the city, as well as Vietnam, according to the official. He outlined the general directions for investment attraction in the years to come, which focus on nine service sectors, including finance, trading, logistics, tourism, health care, education–training, and four key industries of mechanical engineering, electronics-ICT, chemicals-rubber and food processing. Experts at the participants agreed that as an economic hub of Vietnam, HCM City has been and will be an important long-term destination for Japanese investors. Japan is the sixth biggest foreign investor in HCM City with 865 valid projects worth a total of nearly 2.9 billion USD, mostly in processing, manufacturing, wholesale and retail of motorized vehicles, scientific and technological activities, and real estate. The city also sees a continuous surge in the number of Japanese visitors over the past few years.-VNA