Hanoi accommodates JETRO’s first Invest Japan Seminar in Vietnam

July 2016

JETRO held a seminar titled “Doing Business with Japan” in Hanoi, Vietnam on July 5. Do Nhat Hoang, Director General of Foreign Investment Agency (FIA) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), and Kastsuro Nagai, Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Vietnam, delivered opening remarks in their capacity as co-organizer and organizer respectively and presented their expectations for extended business relations between the two countries. For Vietnam, this was the first large-scale Invest Japan Seminar held in the country. Attracting 212 participants from Vietnamese companies and other entities and receiving exposure from 48 media sources, the event garnered a significant positive response from Vietnamese business circles.

Scene of seminar

Appeal of Japan as an investment destination

JETRO’s Executive Vice President Shigeki Maeda made a keynote speech and referred to the Japanese government’s agenda to realize an IT-oriented society at the world’s highest level by 2020, sharing his expectations for Vietnamese companies to invest in Japan, especially in the IT industry which is a promising sector of Vietnam’s. He underlined that Japan as an investment destination is a huge, very attractive and sophisticated market and called for Vietnamese companies thinking of investing in Japan to talk to JETRO first. Another speaker who delivered a keynote speech, Vu Van Chung, Deputy Director General of FIA said “We want to expand investment from Vietnam to Japan, which still remains at a low level, by tapping into affluent human resources, the talent of many Vietnamese students studying the Japanese language in Japan and the prowess of Vietnamese business sectors expected to strengthen in the future”.

Shigeki Maeda, JETRO Executive Vice President

Presentations on investing in Japan by Vietnamese business groups and companies

In the presentation session held to evoke among Vietnamese investors a concrete image of investing in Japan, two Vietnamese companies with experience doing business in Japan took the podium. A representative of the Vietnam Software & IT Services Association also gave a presentation, drawing attention from the Japanese side to his association’s members in the Vietnamese IT industry who are expected to be promising investors in Japan. Nguyen Doan Hung, Vice Chairman of VINASA explained how demand on the Vietnam side for doing business and opening business bases in Japan is mounting, sharing their experience of building a network between the two countries. Nguyen Xuan Huy, Director of VPMS, explained the keys to succeeding in business with Japanese companies by sharing his own company’s efforts over the years of thoroughly conducting “Hou-Ren-Sou,” which refers to the widely shared Japanese business practice of making regular bottom-up reports to supervisors and maintaining good communication and consultation with people concerned. Nguyen Ich Vinh, CEO of Tinh Van Outsourcing JSC, one of JETRO’s clients, explained in his speech how he established his office in Japan by receiving support from JETRO and made the point that it is necessary to invest in human resources and secure quality control from the long-term view.

Deepning interest in investing in Japan

Nguyen Si Hai, a staff member at JETRO Hanoi, presented JETRO’s services to the participants. In the following networking session, many of the participants visited JETRO’s booth to receive individual consultation on investing in Japan. Vietnamese attendees voiced positive reactions in answers to a questionnaire made by JETRO such as “I found good opportunities for locating in Japan,” indicating eager interest in investment. Many participants also visited other booths set out by the prefectural governments from Kanagawa, Aichi, Osaka and Saitama and municipal governments from Kobe, Fukuoka and Kyoto, and active exchange between the participants and local government representatives was seen.

Networking reception
Outline of Invest Japan Seminar - Doing Business with Japan
Date and time July 5, (Tue) 2016 9:00 - 13:00
Venue Hilton Hanoi Opera
Organizer JETRO
Co-organizer Ministry of Economy, Technology and Industry of Japan (METI), Ministry of Planning and Investment The Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI), the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA)
Supporter Japanese Embassy in Vietnam, Vietnam Software & IT Services Association
Attendees 212 persons (150 persons from Vietnamese companies, 17 from Japanese companies, 45 from media outlets)
Outline of Program Greetings from the organizer: Atsusuke Kawada, Chief Representative, JETRO Hanoi
Greetings from co-organizer: Do Nhat Hoan,Director General of FIA
Guest speech: Katsuro Nagai,the Minister of Japan to Vietnam
Keynote speech 1: Shigeki Maeda, JETRO Executive Vice President
Keynote speech 2: Vu Van Chun, Deputy Director Generalof FIA
Presentation by Vietnamese business group: Nguyen Doan Hung, Vice Chairman of VINASA ,and President of Vietnam-Japan IT Cooperation Club (VJC),
Presentation by Vietnamese company 1:Nguyen Xuan Huy, Director of VPMS
Presentation by Vietnamese company 2: Nguyen Ich Vinh,CEO of Tinh Van Outsourcing JSC.
Presentation on JETRO’s services: Nguyen Si Hai, staff member, JETRO Hanoi
[Networking reception]