Vietnam, Japan seek to expand construction cooperation

Vietnamese and Japanese construction experts discussed issues related to construction technologies and standards, sustainable urban development and high-quality human resources at a conference in Hanoi on September 26.

During the 6th Vietnam-Japan Conference on Construction (VJCC) co-hosted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction and Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), participants put forward orientations for cooperation between the two countries in managing investment, cost and quality of construction projects.

In his speech at the event, Deputy Minister of Construction Le Quang Hung affirmed Japan is the leading economic partner and the largest provider of bilateral official development assistance (ODA) for Vietnam.

Vietnamese and Japanese enterprises exchanging information to seek investment opportunities. Photo: Vietnam+

The two countries have worked together on many great ODA projects in infrastructure and energy, effectively contributing Vietnam’s socio-economic development, he said.

The two sides have coordinated in promoting exchange of all-level visits and organizing the VJCC periodically to share experience in construction technology, quality management of construction work, water supply, waste and waste water treatment, eco-city development, and human resources development, he noted.

According to deputy head of the Department of International Cooperation under the Ministry of Construction Pham Thi Hong My, Japan investors poured some USD 496 million into Vietnam in the first six months of this year, becoming the fourth largest foreign investor in the country in the period. Vietnam is now the top selection of Japanese firms in ASEAN.

At the conference, Japanese delegates shared experiences in building and implementing the architectural law (Kenchikushi Law) and related laws, as well as in using foreign employees, managing quality and safety in construction sites.

They also introduced Vietnamese counterparts to technologies in improving land for urban underground works in particular and construction technologies in general.

Regarding the use of foreign workforce in Japan, Eiji Aoki from the MLIT said his country considers expanding the residence term for foreign technical trainees in the country to five years instead of the existing three-year term.

Taiji Yanai, vice director in charge of marketing and development in Indochina of Japan’s Taisei Corporation, the construction contractor of T2 terminal at Noi Bai International Airport, said his firm hopes to join more construction projects in Vietnam, committing to ensuring the progress rate, quality and safety of its projects in the country.