JICA President Tanaka Visited Viet Nam
2026.06.12
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From June 8 to 12, JICA President Tanaka Akihiko visited Hanoi, the capital city of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, and Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s second-largest economic center. During his visit, he held discussions with senior Vietnamese government officials, including Prime Minister Le Minh Hung of the new administration inaugurated in April this year. They exchanged views on Japan–Viet Nam cooperation toward Viet Nam’s goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045. President Tanaka also conducted a site visit to the Ho Chi Minh City’s Urban Metro Line No. 1—completed in 2024 with Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA)—and rode the line to observe its operations.
JICA President Tanaka Akihiko (left) shakes hands with Viet Nam’s Prime Minister Le Minh Hung at the Prime Minister's Office in Hanoi
At his meeting with Prime Minister Hung, President Tanaka reaffirmed that JICA supports Viet Nam’s ongoing economic reforms led by the government, and that JICA is willing to cooperate comprehensively and strategically, particularly in the following priority areas:
(1) science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation (DX)
(2) corporate growth of domestic enterprises and expanded participation in global value chains
(3) investment environment; and
(4) strategic infrastructure.
In response, Prime Minister Hung expressed his deep appreciation for JICA’s longstanding partnership with Viet Nam. As the Vietnamese government aims to achieve double-digit GDP growth from 2026 onward, he noted the need for a comprehensive cooperation from JICA that would contribute to its economic growth. Prime Minister Hung also conveyed his expectations for further collaboration with JICA, particularly in the four priority fields as mentioned above.
President Tanaka and JICA officials in a meeting with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Vietnamese delegation
President Tanaka also noted that Prime Minister Hung is an alumnus of the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS, formerly the Graduate School of Saitama University). Drawing on his own long academic engagement with the Institute, he expressed his high regard for the Prime Minister’s leadership in Viet Nam’s continued economic advancement. President Tanaka served as president of GRIPS from 2017 to 2022 as well as a visiting professor from 2022.
During the visit, President Tanaka observed the Ho Chi Minh City’s Urban Metro Line No. 1, which commenced operations in December 2024 under a Japanese ODA loan project. After riding Vietnam’s first urban railway system featuring an underground section, President Tanaka spoke highly of the metro system, saying, “The journey offered a pleasant and sophisticated experience. With its elaborately designed stations, the system gave the impression of being among the world’s most advanced metros.”
President Tanaka and the head of Ho Chi Minh City Urban Railway Company Limited Line 1(HURC 1) on the ODA-founded Ho Chi Minh City Metro
At the Japan–Viet Nam Summit Meeting held in May this year, the two countries reaffirmed their commitment under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership to further expand cooperation in emerging priority areas related to economic security, including energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence (AI), semiconductors, and space.
As the implementing agency of Japan’s ODA, JICA will continue to cooperate for Viet Nam’s sustainable economic growth and contribute to further deepening Japan–Viet Nam relations.
President Tanaka greets staff at a metro station
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