Vietnam-Japan Businesses Forge Deeper Cross-Sector Partnerships

According to Mr. Tran Quoc Duy, Deputy Chief of Office at the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Supporting Industries (HASI), responsible for trade promotion and international cooperation, Vietnam-Japan economic ties are shifting towards deeper cooperation in technology, supply chains and green development, creating demand for more substantive business connections.

Against this backdrop, the third Vietnam-Japan Business Promotion Programme will take place on the afternoon of September 2, 2026, at Queen Plaza, 91B2 Pham Van Hai Street, Tan Son Hoa Ward, Ho Chi Minh City. The event builds on the results of the second edition held in 2025.

Both editions are jointly led by the Tran Family Business Club and the Vietnamese Business Association in Japan (VJBA), in coordination with the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan and with support from the Investment and Finance Committee of the Saigon Entrepreneurs Association.

The 2026 event is expected to attract nearly 150 Vietnamese businesses, more than 30 Japanese companies and around 50-60 exhibitors. Its main activities will include product showcases, one-on-one business matching and meetings with potential importers, distributors, agents, investors, OEM and ODM partners, and technology providers.

The second programme, held in Ho Chi Minh City on September 5, 2025, attracted nearly 200 Vietnamese and Japanese businesses. Participants represented a broad range of sectors, including labour and human resources, agriculture, food, logistics, imports and exports, technology, media, education, healthcare, elderly care, property, construction, investment, and mergers and acquisitions.

Nearly 40 exhibitors presented products and services spanning agricultural produce, food, handicrafts, fashion, furniture, technology and business support. Dozens of memoranda of understanding were signed following direct discussions between Vietnamese and Japanese companies.

Speaking at the 2025 event, Mr. Ta Duc Minh, Trade Counsellor at the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan, said there remained considerable scope for further cooperation between the two markets. Stronger links between business organisations and corporate communities would make a practical contribution to bilateral trade promotion, he said.

Mr Ta Duc Minh, Trade Counsellor at the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan, delivers his remarks at the second Vietnam-Japan Business Promotion Programme.

Other delegates stressed that Vietnamese companies seeking sustainable growth in Japan must pay particular attention to product quality, corporate credibility, traceability, environmental standards and continuous improvement.

Mr. Tran Quoc Duy, who also serves as Vice Chairman of the Tran Family Business Club, offered several recommendations to participating companies. He said Vietnamese businesses seeking to increase exports to Japan needed to improve product quality, keep abreast of market developments, adopt long-term sustainability strategies and expand their international partnerships.

Mr. Tran Quoc Duy, Deputy Chief of Office at the Ho Chi Minh City Association for Supporting Industries (wearing a red Ao Dai), introduces Vietnamese businesses to Mr Ta Duc Minh, Trade Counsellor at the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan (fifth from left), alongside VJBA delegates and Japanese business representatives touring the exhibition booths at the second Vietnam-Japan Business Promotion Programme.

Building on the previous edition, the 2026 programme will broaden its range of participating industries. Registered food and consumer-goods businesses are seeking Vietnamese suppliers of agricultural produce, food and beverages, as well as raw materials for Vietnamese food production in Japan. They are also looking for importers, distributors and OEM or ODM manufacturing partners.

Cosmetics and dietary-supplement companies are interested in contract manufacturing, product development, the distribution of Japanese goods and the appointment of agents in Vietnam.

Industrial participants are seeking partnerships in casting, mechanical processing, iron and steel, ventilation-duct installation, generators, construction machinery, equipment, infrastructure and raw-material trading.

Companies in the environmental and energy sectors are exploring cooperation in recycling, resource circulation, environmental restoration, carbon-related solutions, renewable energy, agriculture and forest development.

Technology businesses will introduce services in information technology, e-commerce and financial technology, including electronic wallets, international money transfers, credit scoring, electronic identification, cloud computing, data infrastructure and financial software.

Participants in trade and business support are interested in imports and exports, distribution, retail, customs clearance for two-way Vietnam-Japan trade, foreign-exchange services, event management and trade promotion.

The programme will also include companies specialising in Specified Skilled Workers, accounting and financial training, investment advisory services, business establishment and operations in Japan, recruitment, immigration, taxation, insurance and corporate consulting.

Property, interior-design, repair and construction companies are seeking investors, distributors, contractors and M&A opportunities. Businesses in hospitality, restaurants and cleaning services are looking to recruit personnel, transfer service standards and expand their operations in Vietnam.

The diversity of participating industries shows that the 2026 programme will extend beyond conventional merchandise trade to include manufacturing, technology, investment, human resources and green development.

The organisers will provide Vietnamese companies with information on the Japanese participants’ business requirements in advance, enabling them to research potential partners, prepare corporate profiles and define their objectives ahead of the B2B meetings.

A successful meeting should not be measured solely by an exchange of business cards or the signing of an MOU. Its longer-term value will depend on follow-up activities such as product sampling, technical-document exchanges, supplier assessments, negotiations, trial orders and, ultimately, commercial contracts.

By connecting the industries represented in 2025 with the more diverse business delegation expected in 2026, the third programme aims to deepen Vietnam-Japan corporate ties and make them more substantive, commercially effective and sustainable.