At the reception on March 1, Mr Khai expressed his delight at the fine development of Vietnam-Japan relations in recent years and thanked the Japanese Government for supporting and providing ODA for Vietnam. He said many Japanese investors have shown keen interest in Vietnam.

After asking about Japan’s national reconstruction process since the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami hit the country one year ago. Mr Khai said the Vietnamese people are filled with admiration for Japan’s great efforts to overcome their difficulties.

For his part, Mr Tsutomu said Japan has received great support from international friends including Vietnam and sincerely thanked the Vietnamese people for their valuable support and encouragement.

The JVFPA President said he hopes Vietnam-Japan relations will continue to grow and flourish on account of bilateral trade and economic cooperation in the context of the global economic downturn.

Former PM Khai asked Mr Tsutomu to convey the best regards to his Japanese friends, especially his former counterpart Koizumi.