During her stay, the Japanese PM met with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and State President To Lam, held talks with Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, and delivered a speech at Vietnam National University, Hanoi on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategy.
Nikkei reported that at the reception, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam recalled his multiple visits to Japan before assuming his current position, and called late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other Japanese politicians as “great friends of Vietnam.”
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Nikkei covers the meeting between Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and Japanese PM Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae in Hanoi on May 2, 2026. |
According to Nikkei, Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae affirmed that Japan will continue to promote the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam and coordinate efforts to build a “stronger and more prosperous” region. The newspaper also noted that Party General Secretary and State President To Lam continues to demonstrate a policy orientation that values diplomacy and international cooperation amid global uncertainties.
Meanwhile, Asahi highlighted economic security cooperation during the talks between Prime Minister Le Minh Hung and Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae. According to the article, the two sides announced a joint document to strengthen cooperation in ensuring supply chains for energy and strategic minerals, aiming to diversify sources amid intensifying geopolitical competition.
The newspaper quoted Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae as saying that Vietnam is an important link in regional supply chains and a highly valued partner for Japan. For his part, PM Le Minh Hung emphasized the desire to promote more substantive cooperation measures in areas of mutual interest.
Yomiuri reported that the two PMs also agreed to advance support measures for Vietnam’s oil refinery to ensure a stable supply of essential materials for Japan. According to the newspaper, this will be the first project under the 100-billion-USD “Power Asia” energy support initiative proposed by Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae.
Both Yomiuri and Mainichi paid significant attention to Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae’s speech at Vietnam National University, Hanoi, viewing it as an important milestone in the next phase of the FOIP strategy. Analyses noted that Japan continues to regard Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, as a central region in maintaining a free, open, and rules-based Indo-Pacific.
Meanwhile, NHK reported that in her speech, PM Takaichi Sanae outlined three major pillars of the new FOIP phase. The first is enhancing the resilience of energy supply chains and critical materials, while promoting research and development in AI and infrastructure such as undersea fiber-optic cables.
The second is expanding a rules-based economic order, including broadening membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and establishing rules to avoid dependence on a single country for critical supplies.
The third is strengthening security cooperation with like-minded countries through the Official Security Assistance (OSA) framework to improve maritime security capabilities, including the provision of defense equipment.
Source: VNA