As part of the provincial economic development strategy, Binh Dinh has been working to promote its friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Japanese localities, seeing Japan as an important economic partner. The province has also been studying the laws, mechanisms and policies, doing market research to grasp Japan’s potentials and strengths, preparing step by step for the promotion of a development and cooperation relationship.
Binh Dinh is currently inviting investment in the fields of Japan’s strength such as transport infrastructure (ports and roads), support industries, real estate, tourism, agro-forestry production; investment in various forms not only FDI but also extend to ODA, PPP and others. Since identifying Japanese enterprises as important partners in investment attraction and promotion in 2012, for four straight years, Binh Dinh has sent its staff to join investment promotion delegations to work directly with Japanese corporations and investors. As a result, in 2014, the province welcomed many organizations, businesses and friendship associations of Japan to the province to study the investment environment with the intention to cooperate with Binh Dinh in fields such as fisheries, granite, or recruiting nurses to work in Japan.
Specifically, in fishery cooperation, Kato Group has aided Binh Dinh in mastering the technologies for sea tuna exploitation and on board storage so the products can meet quality requirements when exported to the Japanese market. The province has purchased five sets of Japanese tuna fishing equipment for a total price of VND 1.5 billion for the pilot ships to practice. The main participants in this project are Binh Dinh Fishery JSC, Kato Group and the pilot ships which are practising the chain model for tuna production covering all stages including exploitation - procurement - export to Japan. Through Kato Group, Binh Dinh will soon receive another 25 tuna fishing equipment sets as support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to further develop the provincial ocean tuna industry.
In the field of labour training, Construction JSC No 47 has signed a memorandum of cooperation with IBCA and Kushima Construction Group. Accordingly, the group will admit trainees (starting with 300-400 people/year) in the fields of construction, food processing and aquaculture. First, the group will set up a Japanese language centre and provide for work safety in construction. Additionally, Maguchi Group and businesses of the Kyoto Association of Vietnam - Japan Friendship has expressed interest in bringing provincial labourers to work in Japan and commercialising the stone industry and fishery.
On educational cooperation, Ms Huynh Thi Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment of Binh Dinh, said the province wished to expand cooperation with Japan in all fields. Noticing that there had been quite a number of interested Japanese enterprises coming to study the investment environment in the province, the authority wanted to set up a Japanese teaching centre to help attract more Japanese firms to come and invest in Binh Dinh. Thus, in the near future planning, the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the University of Quy Nhon may undertake an additional responsibility of opening Japanese courses at school in an attempt to meet the demand of students and people who work and cooperate with Japanese partners. Initially, the province hopes to attract volunteers to the centre to help train the trainees for the purpose of sending them to Japan to work, as well as supporting the curriculum construction.
Particularly in the field of investment promotion support, currently the Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association in Sakai is working with JICA and the Japanese government to add two projects of Binh Dinh into the funding list including: the construction and upgrading of storm shelters and fishing port Tam Quan Bac (Hoai Nhon district); the support for efficient and sustainable exploitation of ocean tuna. Nankai Kinzoku Company (Dong Nai) has created favourable conditions for Binh Dinh to build a showroom in its headquarters to promote the province, also according to plan, the company intends to invest a factory in the area. In addition, Mr Masayuki Suzuki - CEO of Sinwa Industrial Co., Editor in chief of Vietnam News Liner, sponsor and director of the program “Dynamic Morning” on the Osaka radio, has committed to encourage the cooperation in Japanese training as well as to promote the potentials, the strengths and the good image of Binh Dinh to Japanese, thereby attracting more Japanese companies to come looking for cooperation opportunities in the province.
Hoang Lam
Vietnamese
