Gifu, Japan, 20 July 2016 - BIDV in collaboration with Gifu Prefecture, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), Vietnam Embassy in Japan and Vietnam – Gifu Friendship Association organized a seminar on promoting Vietnam-Gifu tourism.

​Mr. Hajime Furuta - Governor of Gifu Prefecture, Nguyen Van Tuan - General Director of the VNAT, representatives of the Embassy of Vietnam in Japan and provinces of the two countries were in attendance.

Addressing the seminar, Mr. Tran Bac Ha, Chairman of BIDV, emphasized that BIDV would (i) continue effective cooperation with Japanese partners to develop the best products and services for the businesses of the two countries; (ii) participate and organize joint events on promoting tourism between Vietnam and Japan; and call on businesses, investors both local and foreign to fund the events, (iii) continue supporting businesses and localities of the two countries in seeking opportunities for investment and tourism development between Vietnam and Gifu Prefecture in particular and Vietnam and Japan in general.

BIDV also proposed the governments of the two countries, local authorities of Gifu and Vietnam to facilitate and organize events on promoting investment, tourism, and cultural exchange between the two countries. The bank also proposed the Japanese government and Gifu Prefecture to continue supporting Vietnam's tourism industry, particularly in the fields of (i) tourism development planning and ecotourism; (ii) protection of historical and cultural relics, conservation of tourism resources, sustainable use and protection of natural resources; (iii) training of tourism human resources on short and long term courses, and (iv) sharing experiences in the management and development of tourism.

Mr. Furata Hajime appreciated BIDV’s efforts and achievements in connecting, developing tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Gifu, and between Vietnam and Japan, especially the bank’s role in companying Japanese firms, not only in tourism but also in many areas and business sectors.

At the seminar, BIDV and Vietnam - Gifu Friendship Association signed an MOU on cooperation on hi-tech agricultural development and application in Vietnam.

Gifu is located in the central part of Japan covering an area of 10,621 km2 and a population of over 2 million people. The number of tourist arrivals in Gifu in 2011 and 2015 were 130,000 and 920,000, respectively. In the first 4 months of 2016, tourist arrivals to the province increased by 70% year-on-year and are expected to reach 1.5 million by the end of the year. Tourist arrivals from Vietnam to Gifu increased from 340 in 2014 to 2,360 in 2015. Though the number is modest, there is a sharp increase over the years, showing the big potential for tourism cooperation between Vietnam and Gifu.

In recent years, Vietnam has become a popular tourist destination for Japanese tourists. Japanese tourists to Vietnam have been exempt from visa for 15 days since 2004.