Japan remains one of Vietnam’s leading economic partners across trade, foreign direct investment (FDI), and official development assistance (ODA), heard a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on December 15.
The event was organized to seek ways to boost Vietnam’s trade with Japan and the Republic of Korea.
Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic relations in 1973 which was upgraded to the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2023.
In the first 11 months of 2025, Vietnam’s export revenue to Japan reached $24.4 billion, up 8.6% year-on-year, and accounting for 5.7% of Vietnam’s total export turnover. Meanwhile, imports from Japan amounted to $22.4 billion, surging 14.1% year-on-year, accounting for 5.5% of Vietnam’s total import revenue.
Trade structures between the two countries are largely complementary. Vietnam mainly exports textiles and garments, transport vehicles and parts, machinery, wood products, aquatic products, and computers and components to Japan, while importing computers, electronic components, machinery, equipment, and steel products from the latter.
In terms of investment, Japan was Vietnam’s third-largest investor as of the end of November 2025, with 5,698 projects and total registered capital of $79.27 billion, accounting for about 15% of the total FDI in Vietnam.
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