Chairman of Provincial People’s Committee receives Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam

Also attending the event were Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Tran Song Tung and leaders of several departments, sectors and agencies.

Welcoming Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki, Chairman of the Ninh Binh Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh briefed the ambassador on the province’s socio-economic development and its priorities for expanding cooperation with Japan.

He said new Ninh Binh province was formed through the merger of the former provinces of Ha Nam, Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh. The province covers more than 3,900 square kilometres and has a population of 4.4 million.

In the first six months of 2026, Ninh Binh’s economy grew by 11.44%, ranking second nationwide. The province is striving to become a centrally-governed city before 2030.

Ninh Binh considers Japan one of its most important strategic partners. The province has signed a cooperation agreement with Gunma prefecture and is working to establish cooperation with Hyogo prefecture, while continuing to strengthen ties with Kanagawa and Miyazaki prefectures and Saiki city.

The province currently hosts 123 projects invested by Japanese businesses, with total registered capital of 1.59 billion USD. These projects are mainly concentrated in electronics, automobiles, motorcycles and textiles and garments, while more than 500 Japanese experts are working in the province. Japanese enterprises have made positive contributions to Ninh Binh’s socio-economic development.

Alongside investment, manufacturing and business cooperation, Ninh Binh hopes to expand ties with Japanese partners in culture, heritage conservation and tourism. The signing of a cooperation memorandum with the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties marks a new milestone, helping deepen practical and sustainable cooperation in the preservation and promotion of heritage values.

Highlighting the special historical significance of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu and its role within the Trang An Landscape Complex, a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage site, Binh stressed that preserving and promoting the values of Hoa Lu is a responsibility toward both Vietnam’s national heritage and the shared heritage of humanity.

Two field surveys conducted by Japanese experts in 2024 and 2025 have laid an important foundation for long-term cooperation in this area, he said.

Binh expressed his hope that the Ambassador and the Embassy of Japan would continue to support Ninh Binh in heritage conservation, investment promotion and connectivity, tourism human resource development, the cultural industries, and the expansion of cooperation between Ninh Binh and Japanese localities.

Thanking the provincial leaders for their warm reception, Naoki expressed his support for efforts to promote economic cooperation, cultural exchanges and people-to-people ties between Vietnam and Japan, with particular emphasis on the cooperation program between Ninh Binh and the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.

The Ambassador expressed his confidence that, with the institute’s expertise and experience, efforts to preserve and promote the value of relics in the ancient capital of Hoa Lu would achieve positive results.

The Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties has directly participated in the conservation of the Asuka-Fujiwara Ancient Capitals, which were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 26. The experience gained from this work would provide a valuable basis for cooperation with Ninh Binh, he said.

Regarding economic cooperation, Naoki highly appreciated the provincial authorities’ support for Japanese businesses operating in Ninh Binh. He asked the provincial administration to instruct the provincial Management Board of Economic Zones and Industrial Parks to continue coordinating with the Japan Desk to listen to businesses and help address their difficulties.

Among the issues of concern to Japanese enterprises are ensuring a stable power supply, addressing drainage and flooding in industrial parks, and further simplifying administrative procedures./.