A green city with modern transport infrastructure will help Ho Chi Minh City reel in more investment from Japan, a Japanese economic official has said.

Kohei Watanabe, President of the Mekong–Japan Economic Cooperation Committee, affirmed this during a meeting with Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan in the city on October 31.

Kohei Watanabe and Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Doan Xuan Hung are leading a Japanese business delegation to the country’s biggest economic hub to study the investment environment and seek cooperation opportunities.

Watanabe said Japan’s investment in Vietnam, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, has been growing robustly over recent years, pledging that the delegation will call on other investors to do business in the city in the coming time.

Chairman Le Hoang Quan said the Japanese community, including business associations, is the largest in the city, adding that the city has built the 1,000 ha Vietnam-Japan Industrial Park, in addition to the existing Le Minh Xuan Industrial Park, in order to facilitate Japanese investment.

On November 1, Watanabe and Ambassador Hung met with the Steering Committee for the Southwest Region and representatives from Mekong delta provinces and cities to discuss how to lure more investment from Japan to the localities.

The Mekong delta region, comprised of 12 provinces and one city, has a population of 18 million. It holds an extremely important position in Vietnam’s socio-economic development strategy. The region contributes 20 percent of the nation’s GDP.-VNA