Authorities in the Mekong Delta’s Can Tho city held a conference on June 17 to call for more Japanese investment in areas where the city has demand.

The conference was also aimed at introducing the city’s potential, advantages, and investment polices as well as promoting the relationship and trade exchange between the city and Japanese partners.

Can Tho is now home to six Japanese-invested projects with capital of $1.35 billion, with the country ranking first in terms of capital.

The city’s export value to Japan reached $40.6 million in the first four months of this year, with export staples mostly being seafood, apparel, farm produce, steel and steel products, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals, while import turnover was estimated at $9.8 million, with key products being pharmaceutical raw materials, fabric, leather, and machinery and equipment.

Representatives from Japanese enterprises at the conference said Can Tho holds advantages in high-quality human resources that meet production and trade demand among businesses.

Vietnam boasts cheap labor costs compared to neighboring countries, while leasing costs at industrial parks are also lower than in other countries, they said.