 Prime Minister Abe Shinzo (standing in the middle of the front row) smiles brightly as he wears ao dai preparing to take photos at the 2006 APEC Summit in Hanoi. Photo: Reuters |
During Mr. Abe's years in office as Prime Minister of Japan, the Vietnam-Japan relations developed dramatically. He visited Vietnam four times, including two official visits in 2013 and 2017 and two attendances at the 2006 and 2017 APEC Meetings.
 Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Abe Shinzo stroll around Hoi An ancient town on the evening of November 11, 2017 within the framework of the APEC 2017 Summit in Da Nang. Photo: VNA
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Japan is now Vietnam's largest ODA provider, the 2nd largest investor, and the 4th largest trading partner.
Under Mr. Abe’s administration Vietnam and Japan closely coordinated at multilateral forums such as the United Nations and ASEAN-led mechanisms, while the Vietnamese community in Japan grew quickly and became the 3rd largest expat community in Japan.