The Hue delegation included Mr. Pham Duc Tien, Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of Hue City People's Council; Mr. Nguyen Quang Tuan, Member of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee and Standing Vice Chairman of Hue City People's Council; and Mr. Ha Van Tuan, Member of the City Party Committee and Vice Chairman of Hue City People's Committee.
The Nara delegation was represented by Mr. INUI Hiroyuki, Chairman of the Nara Prefectural Assembly, and Mr. YAMASHITA Makoto, Governor of Nara Prefecture.
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| Leaders of Nara Prefecture present a souvenir to Hue City leaders |
Speaking at the working session, Chairman of Hue City People's Council Pham Duc Tien expressed his pleasure at the positive results achieved in the friendship and cooperation between Hue and Nara in recent years.
According to Mr. Tien, Hue and Nara share many similarities in history and culture, with both being former imperial capitals rich in heritage values. This provides a favourable foundation for the two localities to further expand exchanges and cooperation in various fields.
Exchanges between Hue City and Nara Prefecture have been maintained since 2011 through the East Asia Local and Regional Government Congress. In June 2025, Hue City People's Committee and Nara Prefectural Government signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Friendship and Cooperation’, creating a basis for promoting cooperation in culture, tourism, cultural heritage conservation, labour and employment, agriculture, trade and investment.
Building on this foundation, the two localities have continued to organize a range of practical exchange activities. In 2025, Hue and Nara successfully co-hosted the 14th East Asia Local and Regional Government Congress in Hue, attracting around 400 domestic and international delegates. In June 2026, Nara sent an art troupe to take part in Hue International Music Week and also sent a delegation led by Mr. Fukutani Takeo, Vice Governor of Nara Prefecture, to visit and work in Hue City.
At the working session, the two sides agreed to further strengthen exchanges between Hue City People's Council and Nara Prefectural Assembly, with a focus on sharing experience in the activities of elected bodies, particularly issues of mutual concern, and studying the organization of delegation exchange programs in the coming period.
The two sides also agreed to promote people-to-people exchanges, particularly among young people, and expand cooperation in culture, heritage conservation and promotion, tourism, education, trade and investment.
In education, the two sides will study the organization of exchange programs between Hue University students and students from higher education institutions in Nara Prefecture from 2027, while strengthening exchanges among students, pupils and teachers. They will also explore cultural heritage education programs, the development of digital learning platforms and bilingual Vietnamese-Japanese digital libraries, as well as share experience in applying AI and IoT to teaching, learning and education management.
In culture, heritage and tourism, the two localities will continue to share experience in conserving and promoting heritage values and work together to promote their images, destinations and tourism products. Through these efforts, they aim to build on the historical and cultural similarities between Hue and Nara to create more opportunities for exchange and connection.
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| Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee and Chairman of Hue City People's Council Pham Duc Tien speaks at the working session |
In trade and investment, the two sides agreed to strengthen information sharing on the potential, strengths and investment environment of each locality, while encouraging businesses from Nara Prefecture to explore cooperation and investment opportunities in Hue City.
Thanking Hue City leaders for their warm and thoughtful welcome, Mr. INUI Hiroyuki expressed his impression of the city's development achievements, particularly its efforts to preserve, conserve and promote the cultural, historical and heritage values of Hue Ancient Capital.
The Chairman of Nara Prefectural Assembly highly appreciated the results of cooperation between the two localities, noting that their similarities in history, culture and heritage provide favourable conditions for Hue and Nara to further expand their cooperation.
Mr. INUI Hiroyuki expressed his hope that Hue City People's Council and Nara Prefectural Assembly would strengthen exchanges and share experience in the activities of elected bodies, while promoting cultural and educational exchanges, youth exchanges, tourism cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. These efforts, he said, would help enhance mutual understanding and strengthen ties between the people of the two localities, contributing to further fostering Vietnam-Japan friendship and cooperation.
Later that afternoon, Vice Chairman of Hue City People's Committee Tran Huu Thuy Giang received and held a working session with a delegation from Vietnam-Japan Cultural and Educational Cooperation Promotion Centre (VJCE), led by its Director Le Thuong. The delegation also included representatives of educational agencies, organisations and associations from the two countries, as well as representatives from several Japanese localities, including Nara, Okayama and Hiroshima.
VJCE specializes in promoting Vietnam-Japan cooperation in culture and education and serves as a bridge between educational institutions, organizations and experts from the two countries. It also organizes various foreign language training programs, student and teacher exchanges, and high-quality human resource development activities. VJCE is headquartered in Osaka, Japan, with a representative office in Ha Noi.
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| Hue City leaders present a souvenir and pose for a commemorative photo with the delegation from Vietnam - Japan Cultural and Educational Cooperation Promotion Center |
At the working session, the two sides discussed the possibility of implementing key cooperation programs in education, culture and people-to-people exchanges. VJCE proposed working with Hue City to provide Japanese language instruction at local schools where there is demand, while also organising a series of cultural exchanges, student and teacher exchanges, language-learning experiences and connections between schools in the two countries.
Speaking at the meeting, Vice Chairman Tran Huu Thuy Giang welcomed the VJCE delegation and its proposals for cooperation. City leaders highly appreciated initiatives to promote Vietnam-Japan cultural and educational exchanges and discussed possible areas of cooperation that suit the city's needs and practical conditions.
The two sides agreed to continue studying and developing specific cooperation activities, with a focus on Japanese language education in schools, student and teacher exchanges, and stronger educational connections between the two countries. Hue City People's Committee assigned the Department of Education and Training to serve as the focal point for coordination with VJCE during the survey and working process and to advise on preparations towards signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).