The working team’s tasks will be focused on enhancing coordination between local authorities in solving difficulties facing Japanese investors in Vietnam,promoting the image of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and improving investment promotion capacity by connecting to Japan Desk located in Ho Chi Minh City. In his speech, Provincial People’s Committee Vice Chairman Ho Van Nien commended Japanese investors’ contributions to boosting the province’s socio-economic development through large-scale projects which brought high-quality products to domestic and foreign markets. To become an industrial province and international transshipment port in the future, a score of measures have been taken to lure more investment from Japan. So far, the province has had 290 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects capitalized at over US$26 billion including US$1.9 billion from 19 Japan-invested projects. Satoshi Nakajima, Japanese Consul General to HCMCity described Vietnam as an attractive investment destination for Japanese enterprises, adding that Japan Desk,with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) support, will help facilitate Japanese investment in Ba Ria-Vung Tau. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the province and Japan-based Mizuho Bank was also signed under which a support mechanism for Japanese businesses which are investing and plan to invest in Ba Ria-Vung Tau will be fine-tuned as a contribution to promoting Japan’s investment in the province. VOV