Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has highly valued assistance from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to infrastructure development process, institution building and human resource training in Vietnam.

These fields are bottle-necks that Vietnam is trying to break to promote sustainable socio-economic development, Deputy PM Phuc told JICA Vice President Arakawa Hiroto, in Hanoi on August 29.

Phuc expressed his pleasure with the deep and rapid development in the Vietnamese-Japanese ties, including official development assistance (ODA) field.

He said he hopes Japan continues to maintain and increase ODA for Vietnam in the future, especially when the two countries are jointly carrying out major infrastructure projects, such as the metro lines in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and the Nhat Tan bridge spanning over the Red River.

The Deputy PM suggested JICA continue promoting its important role to support practical activities to mark the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year in 2013 on the occasion of the 40 th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.

JICA Vice President Arakawa Hiroto briefed Deputy PM Phuc on his working sessions with leaders of related Vietnamese agencies such as the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Planning and Investment.

He attended the ceremony to start construction of the first metro line in Ho Chi Minh City .

He said JICA will make more contributions to increase the two countries’ understanding and trust in the fields of mutual concern.

He pledged to do his utmost to make the two countries’ diplomatic ties celebrations successful for a new height in bilateral ties.-VNA