Vietnam's top leader and spouse depart for official visit to Japan

Party General Secretary and President To Lam and his spouse, Ngo Phuong Ly, left Hanoi on Sunday for a four-day official visit to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese state. During the visit, the Vietnamese leader is expected to meet Japan's Emperor and Empress, Prime Minister, and the presidents of both houses of parliament. He will also meet leaders of economic organizations and major corporations, attend and deliver a speech at the Vietnam-Japan Public-Private Forum on Economic and Science-Technology Cooperation, and visit a high-tech enterprise.The delegation includes Politburo members and Party Central Committee secretaries Nguyen Duy Ngoc, chairman of the Party Central Committee's Commission for Organization, and Le Minh Tri, chairman of the Commission for Internal Affairs. Vietnam's Party General Secretary and President To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Nov. 8, 2026. Photo by VNA Other Politburo members joining the trip are General Phan Van Giang, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense; General Luong Tam Quang, Minister of Public Security; Le Hoai Trung, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Tran Duc Thang, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee; and Tran Luu Quang, Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee. The delegation also comprises Party Central Committee Members Nguyen Hai Ninh, Chief of the Party Central Committee Office; Ngo Van Tuan, Minister of Finance; Le Manh Hung, Minister of Industry and Trade; Vu Hai Quan, Minister of Science and Technology; and Trinh Viet Hung, Minister of Agriculture and Environment.Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu said the visit holds strategic significance in three key areas.First, the two nations will establish an overarching strategic vision for bilateral relations in a new era, with leaders jointly identifying long-term cooperation priorities across various sectors to meet mutual development needs.Second, Vietnam and Japan will move beyond conventional economic, trade, and investment cooperation toward deeper economic integration. This shift will place greater emphasis on partnership, co-creation, and strengthening each country's economic autonomy and resilience.Third, the visit will provide momentum for breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and the transformation of development models. Japan brings strengths in advanced technology, capital, management experience, and manufacturing, while Vietnam offers a young workforce, a dynamic market, significant growth potential, and a strong commitment to promoting innovation.Vietnam and Japan established diplomatic relations in 1973 and upgraded ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2023. Japan is currently Vietnam's largest provider of official development assistance (ODA), its top labor cooperation partner, third-largest investor, and fourth-largest tourism and trading partner. Bilateral trade reached US$43.7 billion in the first nine months this year, up 15% year-on-year. Trade turnover had reached $51.43 billion in 2025.The Vietnamese community in Japan numbers nearly 700,000, featuring a growing proportion of intellectuals and highly skilled professionals. Currently, around 7,000 Vietnamese IT engineers are working in the country.