Hanoi (VNA) – General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam received Governor of Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture Kuroiwa Yuji in Hanoi on November 12, during the latter’s visit to Vietnam.
Yuji is in Vietnam to attend economic, cultural and tourism exchange activities in central Da Nang city and Hanoi capital, including the Kanagawa Festival 2026, scheduled to take place at Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi from November 14–15.
General Secretary and President Lam expressed his pleasure at meeting Kuroiwa again shortly after his successful official visit to Japan, which included a visit to Kanagawa prefecture. He thanked the prefectural authorities and people for their warm and cordial reception, and commended the governor for his dedication and positive contributions to promoting friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.
The top leader expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of his recent visit to Japan, particularly the adoption of the Vietnam–Japan Joint Vision Statement. He said the agreements and commitments reached during the visit would provide fresh impetus for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries to develop in a deeper, more substantive and effective manner.
In this regard, General Secretary and President Lam spoke highly of the results of cooperation between Kanagawa prefecture and Vietnamese localities and businesses, particularly in high technology, semiconductors, healthcare and cultural exchanges.
Given the strong political trust, close ties and considerable cooperation potential between Kanagawa and Vietnam, as well as Kuroiwa’s affection for Vietnam, the General Secretary and President expressed confidence that bilateral cooperation would see further opportunities for growth in the time ahead.
Welcoming Kanagawa’s opening of a representative office in Hanoi, he called on the office to serve as a bridge to promote and translate cooperation orientations into concrete outcomes.
The top leader also wished the Kanagawa Festival 2026 success, describing it as a meaningful cultural exchange that would help deepen mutual understanding, strengthen bonds and foster friendship between the people of the two countries.
For his part, Kuroiwa thanked Vietnamese leaders for their attention and goodwill towards Kanagawa, as well as for the opportunity to welcome General Secretary and President Lam and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam during their recent visit to the prefecture.
Briefing his host on the longstanding cooperation between Kanagawa and Vietnam since 2013, Kuroiwa said the sustained efforts to organise annual Kanagawa festivals in Vietnam and Vietnam festivals in Kanagawa over the years have played an important role in fostering mutual understanding between the two nations' people and laying a foundation for the cooperation results achieved today.
The governor affirmed that Kanagawa attaches importance to cooperation with Vietnam and would make every effort to expand ties across all fields. He expressed his confidence that the prefecture’s representative office in Hanoi and the Kanagawa Festival 2026 would help strengthen connections, promote substantive cooperation and expand exchanges between the Japanese and Vietnamese people.
On this occasion, General Secretary and President Lam called on Kuroiwa to continue promoting cooperation between Kanagawa and Vietnamese localities, particularly Hanoi, Da Nang and Hung Yen, in the fields of economy, culture, education and people-to-people exchanges./.
