Two major economic centers of Vietnam and Japan cooperate towards green and sustainable development

On the afternoon of August 5, the Ho Chi Minh City Investment and Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) coordinated with the Hyogo Prefecture government (Japan) to organize the Ho Chi Minh City and Hyogo Prefecture Economic Forum 2025 with the theme "Green and digital transformation trends: For sustainable development goals".

Forum scene. Photo: H.Pham

Lots of potential and strengths

Sharing about the strengths of the new Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Toan, Deputy Director of the City Department of Finance, said that the scale of the city has become very impressive with a total GRDP in 2024 reaching more than 115 billion USD, equivalent to nearly 24.4% of the country's total GDP. This new economic zone owns an area of ​​6,772.6 km ² , a population of nearly 14 million people with a highly qualified workforce of nearly 9 million people.

The city has the most synchronous infrastructure system in Southeast Asia, including the Cat Lai, Cai Mep - Thi Vai seaport chain, ICD dry port, two airports Tan Son Nhat and Long Thanh, and more than 50 industrial parks, export processing zones and high-tech zones.

The Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Finance also informed that as of June 2025, Japanese investors had 2,232 valid projects with a total registered capital of more than 15.4 billion USD, accounting for about 19.4% of the city's total FDI capital.

On the Hyogo side, Mr. Nakajima Naoto, Head of the Hyogo Prefectural Government's External Affairs Division, said that Hyogo Prefecture is an important economic center in the Kansai region and across Japan, ranking 6th in the country in terms of GDP. The prefecture's strategic location is enhanced by its transportation network including Kobe Airport and Kobe Port, allowing seamless connections to major domestic and international cities.

In addition, Hyogo province possesses a diverse industry, including heavy industries such as steel, shipbuilding, mechanics and chemicals, along with traditional crafts such as sake, leather goods...

Regarding economic prospects, Mr. Abe Ryota, Economist of Sumitomo Mitsui Bank, analyzed the transformation of the Japanese economy and its important impacts on Vietnam. Accordingly, the number of Japanese enterprises headquartered in Vietnam has increased sharply from 1,944 companies in 2019 to 2,394 companies in 2023.

Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Loc Ha speaks. Photo: Organizing Committee

Promoting green transformation and improving human resource quality

Mr. Pham Binh An, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies, said that the orientation to determine the priority areas for green transformation in Ho Chi Minh City is based on the level of contribution to GRDP, greenhouse gas emissions and strategic importance. Specifically, the areas include: Energy, industry, transportation, urban infrastructure, trade - services and agriculture .

Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha, Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, emphasized that the 7th Ho Chi Minh City and Hyogo Prefecture Economic Forum determined that digital transformation - green transformation is not only an inevitable trend, but has truly become "the command of the times, a call from the heart".

From there, Mr. Nguyen Loc Ha affirmed the consistent motto of taking people as the center, resolutely not sacrificing the environment in exchange for mere economic growth, all economic development must be associated with improving people's lives.

Mr. Hattori Yohei, Deputy Governor of Hyogo Prefecture (Japan) spoke. Photo: Organizing Committee

To realize this policy, Ho Chi Minh City established a Working Group to advise on green transformation; promoted the implementation of the green development strategic framework until 2030, with a vision to 2050, with four main contents, including: Developing green resources; Building green infrastructure; Developing green behavior; Identifying pioneering industries and fields.

The city aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

On the side of Hyogo Prefecture, Mr. Hattori Yohei, Deputy Governor of Hyogo Prefecture (Japan) said that cooperation in human resource development is considered a focus. Hyogo Prefecture is actively building a system to certify foreign labor recruitment enterprises, in order to create conditions for foreign laborers to work and live with peace of mind.

The Deputy Governor of Hyogo Prefecture expressed his hope that Vietnamese workers will develop their careers in Hyogo; and when they return home, they will continue to work for Hyogo Prefecture businesses operating in Vietnam, thereby creating a virtuous cycle.

Mr. Ono Masuo, Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City, shared at the forum. Photo: Organizing Committee

At the forum, Mr. Ono Masuo - Consul General of Japan in Ho Chi Minh City expected that Vietnam's high-quality human resources would increase, promising to further promote economic relations and human resource exchanges between the two localities.

In 2007, Ho Chi Minh City and Hyogo Prefecture officially signed a Letter of Intent to establish friendly and cooperative relations. With the attention and respect of both countries, the relationship between Ho Chi Minh City and Hyogo Prefecture has developed rapidly and smoothly, becoming one of the typical examples of sustainable, sincere and effective local-level cooperation.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/two-central-economic-centers-of-vietnam-and-nhat-ban-cooperate-to-affect-the-green-region-711585.html