The spouses of the Japanese and Vietnamese Prime Ministers, Suga Mariko and Tran Thi Nguyet Thu, visit the Temple of Literature, a special national relic site of Vietnam, in Hanoi on October 19 as part of Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s official visit to the Southeast Asian nation from October 18 to 20. This is the first overseas trip by Suga since he was sworn in as Prime Minister last month and the second consecutive time that a Prime Minister of Japan has selected Vietnam as his first overseas destination after taking office. It is made at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Suga Mariko’s tour of the Temple of Literature follows the official welcome ceremony for the Japanese Prime Minister and his spouse hosted by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Presidential Palace earlier in the morning of October 19. During this trip, she and Tran Thi Nguyet Thu, the spouse of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, are accompanied by President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations Nguyen Phuong Nga, Vice President of the Vietnam Women’s Union Bui Thi Hoa, the wife of the Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, representatives of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Government’s Office, and staff of the Japanese Embassy in Vietnam (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Visiting the Temple of Literature, the ladies learn of the history of the special national relic - the first university of Vietnam and honouring the traditional fondness for learning and reflecting the quintessence of the country’s culture and civilisation. Later, they are set to tour the Vietnamese Women’s Museum so as to have a glance at the history, cultural heritage, and lives of Vietnamese women throughout history. Japanese Prime Miniter Suga Yoshihide and his spouse are paying an official visit to Vietnam from October 18 to 20 amid the strong and substantive development of the two countries’ extensive strategic partnership and political trust (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Suga Mariko (centre), Tran Thi Nguyet Thu (second from right) and officials pose for a photo during the trip to the Temple of Literature in Hanoi. Since Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic ties on September 21, 1973, bilateral relations have experienced rapid developments. The two countries’ relationship is believed to be at its best at present with high mutual trust. Japan is currently Vietnam’s fourth largest trade partner, with two-way trade reaching 40 billion USD. It ranks second among the 138 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 4,595 projects worth nearly 59.87 billion USD. Japan is also the largest provider of ODA for the Southeast Asian nation (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The spouses of the Japanese and Vietnamese Prime Ministers, along with accompanying officials, are briefed on the special national relic site. The Temple of Literature, called ‘Van Mieu’ in Vietnamese, is dedicated to Confucius. It also houses ‘Quoc Tu Giam’ (Imperial Academy), considered the first national university of Vietnam. The relic, one of several temples in Vietnam that are dedicated to Confucius, sagas and scholars, was built in 1070 under the reign of King Ly Thanh Tong. The various pavilions, halls, statues and stelae bearing the names of scholar doctors there are places where offering ceremonies, study sessions and exams of Dai Viet, an old name of Vietnam, took place in the past (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The ladies take a stroll in the Temple of Literature and learn of the history of the special national relic site. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and his spouse started their official visit to Vietnam from October 18 afternoon at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Relations between the two countries have been continually elevated over the past years, with the ‘extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia’ established in 2014. The two sides have maintained important cooperation mechanisms such as the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee co-chaired by their foreign ministers and the strategic partnership dialogue on external affairs, national defence and security at the deputy foreign ministerial level (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The spouses of the Japanese and Vietnamese Prime Ministers, Suga Mariko and Tran Thi Nguyet Thu, pose for a photo at the Temple of Literature. The Japanese leader and his spouse are paying an official visit to Vietnam from October 18 to 20. This is the first overseas trip by Suga since he was sworn in as Prime Minister last month. Japan is one of the leading economic partners of Vietnam. In the first nine months of this year, bilateral trade reached 28.6 billion USD. By September 2020, the Northeast Asian country had run 4,595 valid FDI projects worth 59.87 billion USD in Vietnam, ranking second among the 136 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The spouses of the Japanese and Vietnamese Prime Ministers, Suga Mariko (left) and Tran Thi Nguyet Thu. Relations between the two countries have recorded great strides since the establishment of their diplomatic ties on September 21, 1973. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, they have still maintained all-level exchanges in different forms. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc held talks over the phone with his counterpart Yoshihide Suga on October 12, and earlier with Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on May 4 and August 4. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh also had phone talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu in March and June (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The ladies pose for a photo during their tour of the Temple of Literature in Hanoi in the morning of October 19. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 16 extended congratulations to Suga Yoshihide as the latter had been officially named the new Prime Minister of Japan following a vote in the country’s Parliament on the day. The official visit to Vietnam by the Japanese Prime Minister and his spouse is made amid the strong and substantive development of the two countries’ extensive strategic partnership, set up in 2014, in various fields, the increasingly enhanced political trust, and all-level mutual visits and meetings maintained (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Suga Mariko waves at Vietnamese war veterans who are also visiting the Temple of Literature. The official visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is also the second consecutive time that a government leader of Japan has selected Vietnam as his first overseas destination after taking office. Together with the flourishing bilateral cooperation, relations between the two countries have continually been elevated over the past years, from the ‘reliable, stable and long-term partnership’ in 2002 to the ‘toward strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia’ in 2006, the ‘strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia’ in 2009, and the ‘extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia’ in 2014 (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The spouses of the Japanese and Vietnamese Prime Ministers, Suga Mariko and Tran Thi Nguyet Thu, and accompanying officials at the Temple of Literature. Prior to Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s visit to Vietnam, the two countries’ Government leaders held talks over the phone on October 12, during which Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed that Vietnam always considers Japan its strategic, important and long-term partner and wishes to, together with the country, promote bilateral ties as well as cooperation in regional and international issues of mutual concern, for the interests of the two peoples, and contributing to peace, stability and cooperation in the region and the world (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The ladies and accompanying officials at the Temple of Literature. During the phone talks with the new Prime Minister of Japan on October 12, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc expressed his gratitude for Japan’s valuable support for Vietnam in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and hopes that both sides will continue supporting each other to weather the pandemic. For his part, Suga Yoshihide showed his delight at the strong development in bilateral relations and affirmed that his country treasures and wishes to bring the bilateral cooperation to a new height. He also spoke highly of the role and position of Vietnam in the region and the world (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The spouse of the Japanese Prime Minister, Suga Mariko, poses for a photo at the Temple of Literature. Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s selection of Vietnam as the first destination for his first overseas trip reflects his high evaluation of Vietnam-Japan relations, as well as Vietnam’s position in his country’s foreign policy. The Japanese leader’s visit is expected to offer an opportunity for Vietnam to prove its safety and effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic, while introducing the country’s achievements in reform and socio-economic development, along with efforts in improving its position in international area, implementing the foreign policy and carrying out international integration (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The trip to Vietnam by Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide takes place in the context that both countries, as well as other nations, are seeking ways to strengthen economic connections to recover from impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Japan is one of the leading economic partners of Vietnam. In the first nine months of this year, bilateral trade reached 28.6 billion USD. By September 2020, the Northeast Asian country had run 4,595 valid FDI projects worth 59.87 billion USD in Vietnam, ranking second among the 136 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation. It is also the largest provider of official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The official visit to Vietnam from October 18 to 20, made at the invitation of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, is the first overseas trip by Suga Yoshihide since he was sworn in as Prime Minister in September and also the second consecutive time that a Prime Minister of Japan has selected Vietnam as his first overseas destination after taking office. Spokeswoman of Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry Le Thi Thu Hang said on October 1 that Vietnam welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide to visit the country. She noted the countries’ extensive strategic partnership is developing well, and the two sides have maintained meetings and exchanges at all levels and in different forms (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The two ladies offer incense to the famed Confucian scholars worshipped at the Temple of Literature. The special national relic site, called ‘Van Mieu’ in Vietnamese, is dedicated to Confucius. It also houses ‘Quoc Tu Giam’ (Imperial Academy), which is considered the first national university of Vietnam. The relic, built in 1070 under the reign of King Ly Thanh Tong, is one of several temples in Vietnam that are dedicated to Confucius, sagas and scholars. The various pavilions, halls, statues and stelae bearing the names of scholar doctors there are places where offering ceremonies, study sessions and exams of Dai Viet, an old name of Vietnam, took place in the past (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Suga Mariko, the spouse of Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, offers incense to the Confucian scholars worshipped at the Temple of Literature. Prior to Prime Minister Suga’s visit, Governor of Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture Yuji Kuroiwa and Vietnamese Ambassador to the country Vu Hong Nam visited the Japanese Prime Minister on October 15. Yuji Kuroiwa told the press after the meeting that the tour of Vietnam will be a historic trip that is expected to contribute to enhancing the links between the two countries in the time ahead. He added it is Vietnam’s strong economic growth, the wonderful characteristics of Vietnamese, and the harmony between the two peoples that have motivated the Prime Minister to select Vietnam for his first overseas trip (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The two ladies and accompanying officials at the Temple of Literature. The Vietnam-Japan relationship is now at its prime with high mutual trust since the establishment of diplomatic ties on September 21, 1973. Japan is one of the countries that have granted the largest non-refundable aid to Vietnam’s education and training sector. More than 80,000 Vietnamese students are studying in the Northeast Asian country. Japan is cooperating with four Vietnamese universities to improve their training quality, while helping the Southeast Asian nation with training high-quality personnel in science, technology, management and services, and Japanese language teaching. Relations between the countries’ localities are also thriving, with more than 70 cooperation documents inked so far (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
Suga Mariko, the spouse of visiting Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide, admires the statues of Ly kings at the Temple of Literature. Here, she learns of the history of this special national relic site – the first university of Vietnam and honouring the traditional fondness for learning and reflecting the quintessence of the country’s culture and civilisation. Later, she and Tran Thi Nguyet Thu, the spouse of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, are set to tour the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, also based in Hanoi, so as to have a glance at the history, cultural heritage, and lives of Vietnamese women throughout history (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The spouse of the visiting Japanese Prime Minister writes in the autograph book at the hall dedicated to Chu Van An (1292 – 1370), a renowned Confucian, lecturer, physician and high-ranking mandarin of the Tran Dynasty (1225 – 1400). Her visit to the Temple of Literature follows the official welcome ceremony for the Japanese guests hosted by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Presidential Palace earlier in the morning of October 19. During this trip, she and Tran Thi Nguyet Thu, the spouse of the Vietnamese Prime Minister, are accompanied by President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations Nguyen Phuong Nga, Vice President of the Vietnam Women’s Union Bui Thi Hoa, and the wife of the Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam (Photo: VietnamPlus) 
The spouse of the Japanese Prime Minister beats the drum at the Temple of Literature. During this official visit, Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide is set to engage in a number of meetings with Vietnamese leaders, including Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan. Relations between the two countries have continually been elevated, from the ‘reliable, stable and long-term partnership’ in 2002 to the ‘toward strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia’ in 2006, the ‘strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia’ in 2009, and the ‘extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia’ in 2014 (Photo: VietnamPlus) VNA
