HÀ NAM — The northern province of Hà Nam considers Japanese enterprises as key partners in its investment promotion strategy, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Trần Xuân Dương said at a working session on May 20 with a visiting delegation from the Department of Industry and Tourism of Nagahama City in Shiga prefecture of Japan.

Dương introduced Hà Nam’s favourable investment climate, underscoring the province’s ongoing support for Japanese investment projects across sectors such as industrial production, construction, and healthcare.

He noted that, along with its modern and well-equipped industrial zones, Hà Nam is focusing on upgrading transport infrastructure to better connect with other localities in the Red River Delta, thereby driving the region's economic growth.

Reaffirming Japan’s role as a strategic investor, Dương noted that Japan is currently the second-largest foreign investor in Hà Nam, with over 100 projects in diverse sectors such as mechanical engineering, automobile and motorcycle production, and electronics.

He emphasised that many Japanese firms have expanded operations due to favourable business conditions, and expressed his hope that the current visit will help deepen cooperation between Hà Nam and Nagahama City, and more broadly, with Shiga prefecture and other Japanese regions. 

Kawase Tomohisa, director of Trade and Industry Promotion at Nagahama’s Department of Industry and Tourism, said Japanese companies already operating in Hà Nam had reported positive outcomes and praised the province’s investment environment. He expressed strong interest in facilitating further investment from Shiga-based businesses and called for continued support from the province to ease market access and project development.

Kawase also highlighted the presence of nearly 9,000 Vietnamese workers in Shiga prefecture, including more than 750 in Nagahama City. He expressed his hope that Hà Nam will collaborate on vocational training and skills development to help meet the growing labour demands in Nagahama and Shiga, which are currently facing a shortage of skilled workers. — VNS