On June 11, 2024, at MoHA headquarters, Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra receives the delegation from the Japanese Embassy in Viet Nam, led by Mr. Ito Naoki, the new Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam.
Attending the meeting were Mr. Vu Dang Minh, Chief of the Ministry’s Office; Mr. Chu Tuan Tu, General Director of the Department of International Cooperation; Mr. Nguyen Tuan Ninh, General Director of the Department of Civil Servants and Public Employees; representatives of leaders and officials of the Ministry’s Office, Department of International Cooperation, and the National Academy of Public Administration.
Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra (R) and the Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Ito Naoki.
In her remarks, Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra expressed her pleasure and honor in welcoming and working with Ambassador Ito Naoki and the delegation from the Japanese Embassy to Viet Nam.
On behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra congratulated Mr. Ito Naoki on starting his new tenure in Viet Nam.
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra noted that in 2023, Viet Nam and Japan celebrated the 50th of their cooperative relations. This event was highly significant and provided an opportunity for both countries to elevate their friendship and comprehensive cooperative ties to a new level.
Beyond the strong political trust between the two nations in various fields, the people of Viet Nam and Japan take great pride in their friendship and comprehensive cooperative ties. Both nations share similar cultures and have jointly nurtured this relationship, accompanying each other in the current international integration efforts. Over the past 50 years—a long journey—the relationship has continually opened new and meaningful, practical, and effective paths for the comprehensive cooperation and friendship between Viet Nam and Japan.
Minister Phạm Thị Thanh Trà also highlighted several cooperation programs between the Ministry of Home Affairs of Viet Nam and Japanese agencies and organizations. These include high-quality human resource training and strategic cadre training, public service and civil servant management, local government administration, and training of public officials.
The Minister stated that regarding the training of strategic-level cadres, since 2000, the Japan Grant Aid for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) Program has been initiated. This program targets young officials within Viet Nam’s political system who are expected to make significant contributions to the country’s socio-economic development after completing their studies in Japan.
In August 2018, both parties signed a commitment to organize short and medium-term training sessions for 500 public leaders and strategic-level planning officials in various Party and Government agencies of Viet Nam. From 2014 to 2019, 100 strategic-level officials from Viet Nam studied at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Japan under Project 165. As part of the program to enhance governance for Viet Nam, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) also implemented the Project to Build Professional and Efficient State Operation for Improvement of Business Environment. This project shared administrative management experiences and efforts to improve Japan’s business environment with officials in the Office of the Government and related agencies, with e-government playing a key role.
In the field of civil service management, since 2021, JICA and Japan’s National Personnel Authority (NPA) have been supporting the MoHA of Viet Nam in implementing the “Project on Technical reform for civil servant entrance examination in Viet Nam.”
The project’s activities mainly focus on providing technical support to change the recruitment method by incorporating cognitive ability assessment questions into the civil servant entrance exams and implementing personality interview guidelines in recruitment.
Originally, the project was set to conclude in January 2025. However, to ensure the sustainability of its outcomes, both parties are discussing and processing the necessary paperwork with relevant stakeholders to extend the project’s implementation by an additional eight months (with a projected conclusion in September 2025). The Japanese side has officially communicated an increase in funding for this extended phase through a diplomatic note.
In the field of local government, cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan (MIC) and the Japan Council of Local Authorities for International Relations in Singapore (J.CLAIR) has been ongoing.
Cooperation with J.CLAIR has been conducted since 1994 through several short-term training programs for Vietnamese local government officials. These programs primarily aim to enhance professional skills in local government management in Singapore and Japan, contributing to capacity building and improving work quality of local public servants.
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, MoHA of Vietnam and MIC, through J.CLAIR Singapore, successfully coordinated and organized international seminars on local administration in Hanoi, Thua Thien – Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City. This cooperation has actively contributed to policy development in local government and strengthened the relationship between the local governments of the two countries.
After a five-year hiatus, MoHA of Viet Nam and MIC of Japan plan to resume organizing the Local Administration Seminar in September 2024. The seminar is expected to take place in Hanoi with 150 participants (130 representatives from various localities in Viet Nam and 20 representatives from various localities in Japan). The proposed program includes an overview presentation on local governments in both countries and two thematic presentations and discussions on digital transformation and regional linkage. The seminar is anticipated to involve Japanese organizations in Viet Nam (the Embassy and JICA).
In the field of training public officials, MoHA is implementing the project “Capacity Building for Young Leaders and Female Leaders of Local Governments Abroad for the period 2023-2025″ at two training institutions in Japan: the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) and Hiroshima University. In 2022, two training courses were successfully organized; in 2023, two training courses were held, and in 2024, three courses are scheduled (one has been organized, with two more planned for the end of 2024).
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra expressed her desire that in the coming time, the Ambassador will act as a bridge to help MoHA receive more cooperation and support from Japan in the following areas: Accelerating the implementation of the project to innovate the civil servant entrance examination process in Viet Nam to create breakthroughs in public service reform in Viet Nam; Organizing more seminars to exchange and share experiences between the MoHA of Viet Nam and MIC of Japan in various areas of state management;
Enhancing the capacity of local governments in Viet Nam through cooperation with J.CLAIR Singapore and providing short-term and long-term training for Vietnamese central and local officials; Developing training programs for public servants in general and young and female officials in particular, especially by helping to connect with local governments so that training and research survey delegations have the opportunity to interact, learn, and gain practical experience from localities in Japan.
An overview of the meeting.
In his response, Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Ito Naoki thanked Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra for taking the time to receive the delegation.
He noted that 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Viet Nam. High-level leaders of both countries have agreed to elevate the bilateral relationship to a “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World.” This is a significant milestone to reflect on the past 50 years and to aim for closer and deeper cooperation in the future.
The Ambassador expressed his honor at being appointed as the Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam and affirmed his commitment to positively developing the traditional and comprehensive strategic partnership between Viet Nam and Japan. Ambassador Ito Naoki hopes to receive the support of MoHA, as well as the Government of Viet Nam, in implementing various projects in Viet Nam.
Regarding Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra’s proposals, Ambassador Ito Naoki highly appreciated the cooperative relationships between Japanese agencies and organizations and MoHA of Viet Nam over the past time. In his capacity, Ambassador Ito Naoki will make every effort to further develop and deepen the cooperative relationship between the Japanese Embassy, Japanese agencies, organizations, and MoHA of Viet Nam.
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra and the Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Ito Naoki with meeting participants.
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra presenting a souvenir to the Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam Ito Naoki
Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra congratulating Ambassador Ito Naoki on starting his new tenure in Viet Nam.
