Many Japanese investors have desire to invest in Vietnam in the time to come, said the visiting Japanese Senior Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Matsuyama Masaji in Ho Chi Minh city on September 18.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan welcomed the guest by saying that despite the global economic turmoil and natural disasters in recent years, Japan has continued to provide Vietnam with a significant amount of ODA.

Japan tops other Official Development Assistance (ODA) providers for Vietnam as its annual amount has hit 1.8 billion USD. The assistance has reflected its fine relation and warm feelings for Vietnam, Mayor Quan added.

The Japanese guest also said on the basis of mutual trust between the two Governments and peoples as well as bilateral strategic partnership, Japan wishes to step up wide-ranging cooperation with Vietnam.

The Japan’s ODA has assisted HCM city to implement many huge projects including Ben Thanh- Suoi Tien metro line, water project and Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Quan noted.

For his part, Masaji expressed his pleasure at the sound development between the two countries in general, HCM city and its Japanese partners in particular.

He also thanked the municipal authorities for favourable conditions given to Japanese investors. He hoped Vietnam would continue to improve investment environment for Japanese investors.

Japan currently has 670 investment projects worth over 3 billion USD in HCM City. The two-way trade between HCM city and Japan made an increase in 2012. The city exported 2.5 billion USD worth of goods to Japan while spending 1.34 billion USD on imports from the country.-VNA