Thang presented the potential and strengths of Yen Bai to the Mimasaka leader and suggested several cooperation activities for 2021.

In terms of culture, the province plans to open a Japanese culture space on Hao Gia pedestrian street in Yen Bai city to introduce the cultural identities of Japan such as the tea ceremony and traditional costumes to local people. It also looks to exchange experience in the management and sustainable development of tourism in association with terraced rice field conservation.

He noted that regarding education, Yen Bai hopes to organise exchanges in English language between students of the same grades of the province and Mimasaka by using Zoom or Google Team applications. During those activities, to be held once a month, students will present the identities of their respective localities’ culture and people.

In the field of labour, the province hopes that Mimasaka city will send teachers to teach the Japanese language to students and workers at the Yen Bai Vocational School, and that it will receive local technical workers under internship programmes, Thang said.

In terms of agriculture, it suggested Mimasaka assist the province to develop value chains for local OCOP products like soybean oil, orange, "Shan tuyet” tea, vermicelli, Bat Tien tea, and cinnamon oil.

Showing support for Yen Bai’s proposals, Hagiwara Seiji expressed his hope that he will soon pay a working visit to the province to discuss and share experience in agricultural development and explore opportunities for Mimasaka companies to invest in Yen Bai.

For the time ahead, the Japanese city looks to receive two students from Yen Bai to learn the Japanese language, he added.