Over the past 40 years, the overall cooperation ties between Vietnam and Japan have always overwhelmed friendship. The tie between the two countries has rapidly developed on many areas and entered a new period on quality, especially after the two nations made a common declaration on strategic partnership for peace and prosperousness in Asia. In Binh Duong province alone, cooperation programs between Vietnam and Japan has flourished many effective results.  Mr. Hata Yuichiro (right), minister of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure Facility, Traffic and Tourism Management of Japan visited Binh Duong province on Oct. 10, 2012.In 2013, Vietnam and Japan has held many activities to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries (Sept. 21, 1973–2013). Grasping the Party and State’s instructions on reinforcing a close, synchronous and overall cooperation of external activities, Binh Duong provincial administration has over the past years steered departments, agencies and localities to speed up activities of external economy, accelerate marketing, trade promotion and investment cooperation as well as expand friendship and international cooperation relations in service for the provincial socio-economic development.With instructions and transparent and flexible measures of investment attraction, Binh Duong has over the past years become one of attractive and reliable destinations for foreign investors. Until now, the entire province has had 2,192 foreign investment projects, capitalized at more than US$18bil from 37 nations and territories. Of these, Japan has had 182 projects being invested in Binh Duong with the total capital of $3.2bil and Japan has become the second biggest nation leading in investment capital source in Binh Duong. This is a very important success, helping Binh Duong rapidly reach a goal of increasing quality and quantity of investment attraction. Of this, there are many big projects such as the $1,2bil Tokyu Binh Duong urban area invested by Tokyu Corporation of Japan. This is considered as the biggest urban area in Binh Duong province and is the biggest project of foreign investment capital in the province so far. In addition, Sun Steel JSC is a project with the biggest increase of capital so far with the total capital of $420mil.According to the provincial People’s Committee chairman Le Thanh Cung, to spur external activities for socio-economic development, the province has over the past time steered departments, agencies and localities to proactively implement negotiations with international organizations, foreign partners in a bid to take advantage of ODA capital source in service for building infrastructure facilities, improving and protecting environment as well as education and vocational training. Of these, Nam Binh Duong water environment improvement project with the total ODA capital of nearly Yen 28bil is the most highlighted project in the province.Over the past time, the province has welcomed numerous leadership delegations and corporations and businesses from Japan. Through working receptions, the provincial leaders briefed the guests on local socio-economic development as well as the provincial administration’s instructions and determinations of perfecting modern and synchronous infrastructure facilities, improving quality of training and manpower development, creating a more transparent and attractive investment climate in an attempt to accelerate FDI attraction.Lastly, from April 7-14, Mai The Trung, member of the Central Party Committee cum secretary of the provincial party committee led a delegation to Japan. Accordingly, big companies in the province also arrived in Japan to urge investments and form up friendship relations on many fields with Japan businesses. In this visit, the provincial People’s Committee chairman Le Thanh Cung said that Vietnamese government as well as Binh Duong provincial leaders highly value Japanese corporations’ capacity and believe that close, automatic and advanced technologies of Japanese corporations will create a good competition on Vietnamese and world markets in the years to come. Therefore, Binh Duong administration supports Japanese projects and simultaneously pledges to help Japanese groups launch projects in Binh Duong.In order to spur the friendship relations, in early June, 2013, the provincial administration held many cultural and sport activities such as Japanese summer festival, a friendship football matches between Becamex Binh Duong Club and Kawasaki Frontale. Through the exchange activities, Binh Duong provincial administration has contributed to cement friendship relations and overall cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.Reported by H.Van – Translated by A.C