On December 29th, 2025, in Hanoi, the Deputy Minister of Construction, Nguyen Danh Huy, met and worked with the Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (MLIT) Sasaki Hajime. Leaders from several units of the Ministry of Construction and experts from MLIT attended the meeting to exchange views and promote bilateral cooperation in the fields of construction, transport, urban development, and technical infrastructure.
Deputy Minister Sasaki Hajime expressed his pleasure to visit and work with the Vietnamese Ministry of Construction, and affirmed that the Japanese Government highly appreciates the comprehensive and trustworthy cooperative relationship with Vietnam.
According to Deputy Minister Sasaki Hajime, Japan is currently focusing on implementing fiscal policies that prioritize resources for the renovation and upgrading of infrastructure systems that have been invested in for many years, such as roads, bridges, tunnels, drainage systems, and urban engineering works.
This process is closely associated with simultaneously addressing challenges related to infrastructure deterioration, labor shortages, and the need to ensure safety and the sustainable operation of urban infrastructure. These problems are faced by many Vietnamese cities and developing countries, whereas Japan has been gradually addressing them effectively and has accumulated valuable practical experience.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy received the Deputy Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan (MLIT) Sasaki Hajime.
Based on this practical experience, Deputy Minister Sasaki Hajime expressed his desire to further strengthen cooperation, share experience, and support Vietnam in areas which Japan has strong expertise, such as the development of transport infrastructure, urban railways, technical infrastructure, water supply and drainage, wastewater treatment, and disaster risk management, thereby contributing to Vietnam’s sustainable urban development and its adaptation to climate change.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy highly appreciated Japan’s level of science and technology, management capacity, and practical experience in infrastructure and urban development. He also affirmed that over the years, cooperation between Vietnam’s Ministry of Construction and Japan’s MLIT has achieved many positive and comprehensive results in areas such as technical infrastructure development, urban development, construction quality management, seaports, logistics, human resource training, and technical assistance.
According to Huy, major cities in Vietnam are currently facing numerous challenges such as traffic congestion, environmental pollution, urban flooding, and pressure from rapid population growth. To address these issues, Vietnam has identified the development of urban railway systems, strengthened management of technical infrastructure, and the application of advanced technological solutions as key strategic directions. For its part, the Ministry of Construction has assigned and continues to assign specialized units to closely coordinate with Japanese partners to study and propose technical standards systems, management solutions, and development models that are suitable to Vietnam’s practical conditions.
Sharing the important outcomes of the working visit to Japan by Minister of Construction Tran Hong Minh and the Ministry of Construction delegation in October 2025, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy emphasized that the visit contributed to promoting bilateral cooperation in the construction sector in general, and in urban development, urban water supply and drainage, and urban wastewater treatment in particular.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy and Deputy Minister Sasaki Hajime took a photo with delegates at the meeting.
Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy stated that the Minister of Construction is expected to visit and work with MLIT in the first half of 2026. Therefore, the Ministry of Construction hopes that Deputy Minister Sasaki Hajime will support the arrangement of high-level meetings between the leadership of the two ministries, moving toward the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in areas of mutual interest, with a view to promoting stronger cooperation in the coming period.
Welcoming the upcoming visit and working program of the Vietnamese Minister of Construction to Japan, Sasaki Hajime affirmed that he would report and coordinate with the leadership of MLIT and relevant Japanese agencies to develop a concrete and substantive working program between the leaders of the two ministries, thereby further deepening the cooperative relationship between the Governments of Vietnam and Japan.
At the end of the working session, Deputy Minister Nguyen Danh Huy and Deputy Minister Sasaki Hajime agreed that both sides would continue to maintain regular exchanges, promote substantive and effective cooperation, and make positive contributions to the sustainable development of Vietnam's construction industry in the future.