Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has emphasised the importance of
Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year 2013 as both nations embark on furthering
their strategic partnership.
He was speaking at the March 1 event
to inaugurate the friendship year at the time to commemorate the 40th
anniversary of bilateral relations. The event attracted high-ranking
delegates from both countries.
Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam
Tanizaki Yasuaki expressed pleasure with activities scheduled for the
year and gratefully recalled Vietnam ’s support for tsunami and
earthquake victims in Japan.
Japan is one of the leading
ODA donors for Vietnam. The country pledged 2.6 billion USD in ODA
in 2013, with priority given to infrastructure development.
The
ambassador also noted that the number of members for the Japanese
Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam had already topped 1,000.-VNA