Vietnam, Japan Commit to Deepening Partnership, Boosting Cooperation

Vietnam and Japan agreed to work closely to realize the agreements reached during Prime Minister Takaichi’s visit to Vietnam in May, including bolstering economic connectivity and economic security, sci-tech collaboration, and pushing concrete joint projects in digital transformation, green transition, innovation, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence. Despite increasingly complex regional and global environments, Vietnam continues to regard Japan as a key partner and remains committed to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership, Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung. Vietnam and Japan should continue to develop their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World, with greater emphasis on substantive and effective cooperation in new areas, especially the strategic connectivity initiatives agreed upon by the two countries’ high-ranking leaders. The war has long ended, yet hundreds of thousands of fallen soldiers remain unidentified. Behind every unnamed grave is a family that has waited in anguish for decades. Determined to honor those who sacrificed their lives for the Fatherland, the Ministry of Public Security is conducting a nationwide campaign to collect DNA samples from relatives of fallen soldiers. Following the recent flash floods, many households in Muong Than Commune, Lai Chau Province, lost their homes and were forced to evacuate. To help residents rebuild their lives as quickly as possible, the provincial authorities have mobilized maximum manpower and equipment to fast-track the construction of an emergency resettlement area in San Bay village. Prime Minister Le Minh Hung held his first phone talks with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on July 21 evening. The Vietnam–Singapore Semiconductor Industry Development Cooperation Forum 2026 was held in Ho Chi Minh City on July 21 to promote investment connectivity, technology transfer, human resource development and broader cooperation in the semiconductor industry. Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung led a delegation to the flood-ravaged commune of Muong Than in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau on July 21 to inspect recovery efforts. On May 8, 1954, just one day after the resounding Dien Bien Phu Victory, the Geneva Conference opened discussions on the restoration of peace in Indochina. After 75 days of negotiations, the Geneva Agreement was officially signed on July 20 (local time). It affirmed Vietnam’s independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, required foreign troops to withdraw from Indochina, stipulated military demarcation lines as temporary, and called for free general elections in each Indochinese country to achieve national reunification. Troops in Lao Cai province are helping residents recover after days of heavy rain triggered widespread landslides in Mu Cang Chai commune, damaging homes, disrupting infrastructure and cutting off transport links. Nearly four months after the launch of Vietnam's 500-Day Campaign, authorities have recovered 1,384 sets of martyrs' remains, according to the National Steering Committee for the Search, Recovery and Identification of Martyrs' Remains. More than 70 years after they fell in the forest of Pha Din Pass, the remains of two Vietnamese martyrs have been recovered by the search and recovery team of the Dien Bien provincial Military Command. Their long journey home has now begun from the very place where they made the ultimate sacrifice during the resistance war. The third meeting of the 14th Party Central Committee opened in Hanoi on July 20, under the chair of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam. Students from the Faculty of Traditional Musical Instruments at the Hanoi College of Art are not only preserving Vietnam’s traditional musical heritage but also helping bring Vietnamese music to audiences around the world. Despite relentless rain and knee-deep mud, officers and soldiers of the Lai Chau provincial Border Guard, together with sniffer-dog teams, have remained steadfast at the scene, racing against time to search for those still missing. As part of the Vietnam–Laos Trade Fair 2026 (VIETLAO EXPO 2026) in Vientiane, the Vietnam–Laos Business Networking Seminar 2026 was held on July 17. A ceremony was recently held in Moscow to present artefacts donated by the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre to the State Museum of Oriental Art of the Russian Federation. With the country's largest durian-growing area of 45,300 hectares, the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong is shifting its focus from expanding cultivation to improving quality and meeting export standards. Ho Chi Minh City continued to cement its position as one of Vietnam’s leading tourism destinations in the first half of 2026, driven by a strong recovery in international arrivals and higher visitor spending. At the Malaysia International Food and Beverage Trade Fair 2026, held from July 15–17 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, businesses from Vietnam’s Central Highland province of Dak Lak showcased a range of processed agricultural products, opening up promising opportunities in the rapidly growing Halal market. More than 2,000 women joined the “Ao Dai – Colours of the Sea” parade in Nha Trang on July 18, as part of the Khanh Hoa Sea Festival 2026. After one month of pilot implementation, the centralised customs clearance model at Regional Customs Sub-department III in the northern port city of Hai Phong has delivered promising initial results. To improve service quality and ease congestion during peak hours, Noi Bai International Airport has introduced biometric check-in kiosks. Copyright, VietnamPlus, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) Editor-in-chief, Mr. Tran Tien Duan.