There is a saying that: “Friendship is the moment when a flower blooms, and time is when the fruit ripens”. The past 50 years of Vietnam-Japan relations have probably been enough for that “friendship” to blossom, bear fruit, and mature, bringing the relationship between the two countries into its best phase, as brilliant as the first rays of dawn in the Land of the Rising Sun.
For the Vietnam-Japan relationship, 2023 cannot be quantified by just 12 months but by the unceasing flow of events in all areas of the relationship to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the two countries establishing diplomatic relations.
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| President Vo Van Thuong and his wife with the Japanese Crown Prince and Princess. (Source: VNA) |
Miraculous fate
At the reception for Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Princess during their official visit to Vietnam last September, President Vo Van Thuong affirmed that the relationship between the two countries is at its best stage of development ever and has sufficient foundation to raise it to new heights in the coming time.
That beautiful journey did not come naturally. Looking back, any relationship, whether arranged or accidental, if sincere enough, will overcome all obstacles and difficulties to last forever! The “accidental” relationship between Vietnam and Japan is such a story.
In the 8th century, in the land of Con Lon (now Con Dao), the Ambassador Heguri Hironari wandered and accidentally set foot on an island off the coast of the South, and is considered one of the first Japanese to come to Vietnam. The Faifo - Hoi An trading port, at that time a port on the "sea silk road" connecting the East and the West, became a familiar and important destination for Japanese merchants. The bustling Japanese merchant ships from Japan played an important role, leaving a special legacy in the formation of the most bustling trading area in Vietnam at that time.
Just like that, through the challenges of the flow of time, the special relationship between the two peoples of Vietnam and Japan has continuously developed and reached towards the future.
50 years is not a long period in the history of the nearly 1,300-year-long exchange relationship between the two nations, but it has witnessed the rapid, remarkable and comprehensive development of the friendly cooperation between Vietnam and Japan. Over the past five decades, the relationship between Vietnam and Japan has become increasingly deeper, from friends, partners, and then very important partners of each other, sharing many common strategic interests and a common awareness of sustainable development.
That journey is clearly reflected in each step the two countries take to upgrade their relationship: from a long-term, stable and trustworthy partner (in 2002) to a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia (in 2006), then a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia (in 2009) and most recently an extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia (in 2014).
Currently, facing the “ever-changing” flow of the world and regional situation, Asia-Pacific is considered the driving force of global growth but also faces numerous risks and challenges, the Vietnam-Japan relationship has not “derailed”, the bilateral relationship is valued by both sides, wholeheartedly promoting comprehensively in all areas of cooperation. That once again shows the extent of the close relationship between Vietnam and Japan.
Sincere companion
It can be confidently said that in every step of Vietnam's development over the past decades, there has always been a "companion" - Japan. Time is the exact measure of the sincerity and trust that the two countries have for each other, and there is no need to question the many phrases "first time" or "rare" appearing in the journey of relations between the two countries.
Japan was the first G7 country to resume official development assistance (ODA) and over the past decades has always been the largest ODA provider to Vietnam, helping to build key infrastructure projects. It is not uncommon to see bridges and roads named after Japan-Vietnam friendship across the S-shaped strip of land.
Japan was the first G7 country to invite the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam to visit Japan (General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in 2009) and was also the first G7 country to recognize Vietnam's market economy status. That friend was the first G7 country to establish a strategic partnership with Vietnam, and was also the first G7 country to invite a Vietnamese leader to attend the expanded G7 Summit (2016 and 2022), contributing to increasing Vietnam's position and voice in the international arena.
Rarely does any country have nearly 100 local relations with Vietnam like Japan. The Vietnamese community in Japan with more than 500,000 people has grown to become the second largest foreign community in Japan.
In particular, each Vietnamese or Japanese person is always ready to share and support each other. This is demonstrated by the image of Vietnamese people lining up in front of the Japanese Embassy in Hanoi and the Japanese Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City to donate to support the Japanese people to overcome difficulties after the earthquake and tsunami in 2011; Vietnamese people are willing to share precious and scarce masks with the Japanese people during the Covid-19 pandemic...
On the multilateral level, the two countries actively cooperate as members of new-generation free trade agreements such as CPTPP, RCEP... At regional and international forums such as ASEAN, APEC, United Nations... the two countries always cooperate closely, support each other, and join hands to solve international and regional issues of common concern.
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| President Vo Van Thuong and his wife. (Photo: QT) |
Moving towards the future
During his official visit to Vietnam in May 2022, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio emphasized that the potential for cooperation between the two countries is limitless. Or as Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed at the Vietnam-Japan Business Forum last May: "We have cooperated, shared, determined, tried and succeeded, so we will continue to promote cooperation, sharing, determination, trying and succeed even more in new conditions". Clearly, with the valuable foundation of the present, the two countries are still united in writing success stories with new chapters of cooperation.
In the coming time, in addition to continuing to deepen political and diplomatic relations through increased contacts, exchanges and interactions at all levels, the two countries will promote economic cooperation in line with its role as the main pillar in bilateral relations.
Through the exchanges, Vietnam called on Japanese investors to increase investment in Vietnam in the fields of supporting industries, electronic components, electric cars, etc.; science and technology, innovation, research and development; green economy, digital economy, circular economy, knowledge economy; semiconductor manufacturing, new energy (such as hydrogen), renewable energy; ecological industrial parks associated with smart cities. These are industries and fields in which Japan has experience and strengths, and Vietnam has demand and potential.
In the spirit of “harmonious benefits and shared risks”, the Vietnamese Government will always accompany, listen, support and create all favorable conditions for foreign investors in general and Japanese investors in particular to make successful, sustainable and long-term investments in Vietnam.
Returning to reflect on friendship, a good friend is like a four-leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to find. Perhaps, from a chance encounter, Vietnam-Japan has also had and is having such a lucky journey. Along with sincerity, trust and efforts to cultivate, the Vietnam-Japan friendship has produced ripe fruits, reassuring those who cultivate it about "bumper harvests".
| Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio: “In 2023, Japan and Vietnam will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in the context of the two countries' relations developing strongly in all fields such as politics, economy, and culture. I believe that President Vo Van Thuong's visit to Japan at such an important time will be of historical significance and become one of the most outstanding highlights of the anniversary year. Not only looking back at the progress in Japan-Vietnam relations up to now, this visit also conveys the message that the cooperation between Japan and Vietnam is not only a bilateral relationship, but is becoming a relationship that can contribute to peace and prosperity in the region and the world.” |
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