Top Vietnamese leader begins official visit to Japan

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam, his wife Ngo Phuong Ly, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived in Tokyo on November 8 (local time), beginning an official visit to Japan at the invitation of Japanese State.

General Secretary and President Lam and his entourage were welcomed at Haneda international airport by State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Nakasone Yasutaka, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Ito Naoki and his wife, and Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu and his wife, Vietnamese Embassy staff and representatives of the Vietnamese community in Japan.

Vietnam and Japan officially established diplomatic relations on September 21, 1973. Over more than five decades, their relationship has been progressively elevated, from the Reliable, Long-term Stable Partnership in 2002 to the Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia in 2009, the “Extensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia in 2014, and most recently, the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World in November 2023.

Looking back on more than 50 years of diplomatic relations, Vietnam-Japan ties have made remarkable strides, becoming increasingly comprehensive, substantive and effective. Political trust has continued to deepen. The two sides have conducted regular high-level visits and exchanges at all levels, ehilr expanding cooperation across multiple channels, including the Party, Government and National Assembly.

Japan remains one of Vietnam’s leading economic partners and its largest provider of official development assistance (ODA). An increasing number of Japanese companies, particularly in high-tech sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI), are showing interest in and expanding their operations in Vietnam. Notably, science and technology, together with innovation, have emerged as new pillars of bilateral cooperation.

People-to-people exchanges and ties between localities have also grown increasingly close. The two countries now have more than 100 partnerships between localities. In 2026 alone, more than 10 major festivals were held in both countries, helping deepen mutual understanding, promote cultural exchanges and strengthen friendship between their people. Beyond bilateral cooperation, Vietnam and Japan have also stepped up coordination at regional and international forums.

The visit is expected to further translate the potential and achievements of bilateral cooperation into concrete outcomes, strengthen the longstanding bonds between the two countries and ensure that the friendship nurtured across generations continues to deliver lasting benefits to both peoples./.