Opening Ceremony of the “Viet Nam – Japan Local Government” Workshop

On September 20, 2024, in Ha Noi, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) of Viet Nam, in coordination with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan, organized the opening of the “Viet Nam – Japan Local Government” Workshop. H.E. Truong Hai Long, Vice Minister of Home Affairs of Viet Nam, and Mr. Onda Kaoru, Director-General for Policy Coordination, MIC of Japan, attended the workshop.

At the opening ceremony, the MoHA of Viet Nam was represented by Mr. Vu Dang Minh, Chief of the Office of MoHA; Mr. Chu Tuan Tu, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation; Mr. Le Anh Tuan, Director-General of the Institute for State Organizational Sciences; Mr. Nguyen Anh Duong, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Local Government; and various leaders, officials, and civil servants from MoHA departments and agencies.

From the local level, the participants included Mr. Ha Minh Hai, Vice Chairman of the Ha Noi People’s Committee; Mr. Nghiem Xuan Cuong, Vice Chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee; Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Dung, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Hai Phong; and Ms. Nguyen Thi Minh Van, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment of Ba Ria – Vung Tau, along with representatives from other localities.

On the Japanese side, participants included Mr. Ito Naoki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Viet Nam; Mr. Sugano Yuichi, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Viet Nam; Mr. Ozasa Haruhiko, President of JETRO, Ha Noi Office, and leaders and representatives from several Japanese localities.

This is the 6th workshop jointly organized by the MoHA of Viet Nam and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan through the Japan Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (J.CLAIR) Singapore Office. The workshop is aimed at public officials working in administrative agencies in countries across the Asian region, with the goal of enhancing cooperation in the field of local government.

In his opening remarks at the workshop, on behalf of the leadership of MoHA of Viet Nam, Vice Minister Truong Hai Long warmly welcomed the presence of Mr. Onda Kaoru, Director-General for Policy Coordination, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, as well as distinguished guests from MoHA, JETRO, JICA Viet Nam, and representatives from the local governments of Kobe, Kitakyushu, and Miyazaki in Japan. He also expressed gratitude for the attendance of numerous delegates representing various central ministries, agencies, and local governments from several provinces and cities at the workshop.

He emphasized that Viet Nam and Japan officially established diplomatic relations on September 21, 1973, marking the beginning of a new chapter in over 1,000 years of people-to-people exchange. Since then, Viet Nam and Japan have successively elevated their relationship, starting with the Trusted and Long-term Partnership in 2002, advancing to a Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia in 2009, and becoming an Extensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia in 2014.

During the official visit of Vietnamese leaders to Japan on November 27, 2023—marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations—the two countries’ senior leaders agreed to upgrade their relationship to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World.” For Viet Nam today, Japan is a “great friend” and one of its most important partners, cooperating for the benefit of both nations and their peoples, as well as for peace and prosperity in the region and globally.

In the field of internal affairs, Japan has supported Viet Nam in training high-quality human resources and strategic-level officials, providing young leaders with opportunities to study and research across various fields such as institutional development, policy-making, public administration reform, urban transportation development, rural and agricultural development, and environmental protection.

In the field of local government, the MoHA of Viet Nam has coordinated with Japan’s MIC and J.CLAIR Singapore to organize international and domestic workshops to share experiences in local governance. Additionally, short-term training programs have been provided for local government officials from Viet Nam, enabling them enhance their professional expertise and contributing to the improvement of capacity and the quality of public service execution by local civil servants.

As part of the 2024 international cooperation program between Viet Nam’s MoHA and Japan’s MIC, the “Viet Nam-Japan Local Government” workshop is being organized to share experiences on the organization and operations of local governments in both countries.

“The workshop will provide an opportunity for government agencies and local governments from both countries to exchange best practices and similarities in local governance, digital transformation, building e-local governments, and strengthening regional linkage models to capitalize on the strengths of localities and economic regions. The topics shared at the workshop will serve as valuable reference material for policymakers in both Viet Nam and Japan as they develop policies for reforming local government organizations and operations. Furthermore, it will provide a chance for local governments from both countries to engage in international cooperation, thus further solidifying the Viet Nam-Japan relationship, worthy of being a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” said Vice Minister Truong Hai Long.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Onda Kaoru, Director-General for Policy Coordination, MIC of Japan, expressed his sincere gratitude to Vice Minister Truong Hai Long for his presence, as well as to the representatives of local governments in Viet Nam for taking the time to participate in the workshop today.

Mr. Onda Kaoru also extended his deepest condolences to the people of Viet Nam for the losses suffered by local areas due to Typhoon No. 3 (Typhoon Yagi) and expressed hope that the affected regions will soon recover from the storm and return to normal life.

He mentioned that in 2023, the Vice Minister of Japan’s MIC visited Viet Nam and held a meeting with the Vice Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Duy Thang. During this meeting, both sides discussed related issues and decided to organize this workshop in Viet Nam. Mr. Onda Kaoru highly appreciated and sincerely thanked MoHA of Viet Nam and the relevant agencies for facilitating, coordinating, and supporting the successful organization of this workshop.

He hopes that the workshop will serve as an opportunity for both sides to discover new ideas and initiatives that can help shape future policies.

During the morning discussion session, participants had the opportunity to listen to presentations from managers and representatives of local governments from both Japan and Viet Nam on the following topics:

The presentation “Overview of Japan’s Local Government System,” delivered by Mr. Onda Kaoru, Director-General for Policy Coordination, MIC of Japan.

The presentation “Overview of Viet Nam’s Local Government System,” delivered by Mr. Nguyen Anh Duong, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Local Government, MoHA of Viet Nam.

In the special session “Sharing between Sister Cities Hai Phong and Kitakyushu,” Ms. Kobayashi Naoko, Head of the International Policy Division from Kitakyushu, introduced the relationship between Hai Phong City (Viet Nam) and Kitakyushu City (Japan). She also provided an introduction to Kitakyushu City (its history and present), emphasizing that Kitakyushu is a port city located in the northernmost part of Kyushu, with a long coastline and three major seaports.

After the first state-owned Yahata Steelworks was established in 1901, Kitakyushu developed into one of Japan’s leading industrial cities. Despite facing severe pollution issues, the collaboration among industry, government, universities, and citizens gradually helped to mitigate the environmental damage. Today, Kitakyushu leverages its experience in addressing pollution problems by implementing numerous international projects, earning widespread international recognition. The city is home to many of Japan’s top manufacturing companies and boasts rich natural landscapes and abundant food resources.

In May 2009, Hai Phong City and Kitakyushu City established a friendship cooperation relationship with the following goals: (1) Enhancing potential participation in infrastructure projects; (2) Supporting the overseas expansion of city-based enterprises; (3) Promoting cultural exchanges; (4) Training human resources to serve as a bridge between the two cities. By April 2014, the two cities signed a Sister City Agreement, fostering cooperation in the “Green Growth City” project, economic exchange, international collaboration, and more.

At the workshop, Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Dung, Director of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Hai Phong, emphasized that 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the Hai Phong-Kitakyushu sister-city relationship (2014-2024). Thus, both cities will host various events, including a photo exhibition, student exchanges, environmental protection projects, activities aimed at achieving net-zero emissions, and business exchanges. She also outlined future cooperation plans: (1) Promoting government delegation exchanges; (2) Continuing cooperation projects focused on green growth, environmental protection, and net-zero emissions; (3) Fostering business exchanges; (4) Enhancing cultural and people-to-people exchanges.

*Before the opening session, Vice Minister Truong Hai Long had a courtesy meeting with Director-General Onda Kaoru and other workshop participants.