PM Dung expressed his pleasure at the results of cooperation between the two countries over the past years, saying that Viet Nam and Japan were striving to build a multi-faceted, stable and long-term relationship.

Japan is now one of Viet Nam's biggest trading partners and its largest provider of official development assistance (ODA). Many Japanese investors have been operating successfully in Viet Nam for some time.

The Prime Minister affirmed that the Vietnamese government will make maximum use of Japan's ODA funding and will do everything possible to create favourable conditions for Japanese investors to do business in Viet Nam.

Vice Speaker Takahiro Yokomichi expressed his satisfaction with the results of the first phase of the Viet Nam-Japan Joint Initiative to improve the investment environment in Viet Nam. He said he believed that the initiative's second phase, and Japan increasing its investment, would strengthen the trade relations between the two countries in coming years.

He also affirmed Japan's support for Viet Nam's entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and said he believed that Viet Nam would successfully host the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in November.