A group of representatives from Japanese enterprises toured Ho Chi Minh City on March 19 to explore partnership opportunities with local businesses.

The firms operate mainly in the areas of pipe steel processing and producing chargers for electronic devices, construction materials, bathroom accessories, and food and agricultural products.

Representatives from the Shin company, which runs restaurant chains and other food-related business, said it plans to open a franchise of Japanese restaurants in Vietnam serving Japanese specialties sushi and udon. It also wants to team up with Vietnamese partners who are interested in restaurant and hotel management.

Meanwhile, West Japan Aitec company representatives said the firm, which specialises in solar energy, battery and mobile devices, hopes to find distributors and producers for its mobile phone charger products.

According to the Ho Chi Minh City branch of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry , Japan is an important trade partner of Vietnam which accounts for 10 percent of Vietnam ’s total import-export revenue.

In the first two months of this year alone, two-way trade between Vietnam and Japan reached about 4 billion USD, up 15.1 percent over the same period last year, with Vietnam exporting over 2.2 billion USD worth of goods to Japan and importing more than 1.7 billion USD from the country.-VNA