The Japanese coast guard patrol vessel Akitsushima (PLH32), led by Rear Admiral and Japan Coast Guard Vice Commander Takashi Toru and Captain Colonel Ono Kazuya, with a crew of 60, began a five-day visit to Da Nang on Monday.
The five-day visit, marking the first by a Japan Coast Guard vessel to Da Nang in 2026, aims to strengthen understanding and trust between the two countries’ maritime law enforcement forces and to further promote the Viet Nam–Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity in Asia and the World, according to the city’s foreign affairs department.
During their stay, members of the Japan Coast Guard will pay courtesy visits to local authorities and hold exchanges with the Viet Nam Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre No.2, the Viet Nam Coast Guard Zone 2, while also touring key destinations in the city.
Viet Nam and Japan are members of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia and the Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting and have worked closely together to enhance maritime law enforcement co-operation.
Da Nang and the ancient town of Hoi An host the annual Viet Nam–Japan Cultural Festival, a symbolic exchange reflecting the deepening ties between Japan and Viet Nam and between Japan and Da Nang over past decades. The event has attracted participation from the cities of Kanagawa, Nagasaki, Shiga, Niihama, Sakai, Yokohama, Kobe, Kisarazu, Goto and Kasuya.
Da Nang was the first city in central Viet Nam to promote co-operation with Japanese partners in high-quality human resources training and has signed co-operation agreements with Kisarazu, Kawasaki, Sakai, Kinokawa, Nagasaki, and Yokohama.
The city is home to 280 Japanese investment projects worth US$1.28 billion, creating about 40,000 jobs in central Viet Nam.
Japan’s Mikazuki Hotel Group is among the most successful investors in Da Nang, having officially opened the $168.16 million Da Nang Mikazuki Resort & Spa. — VNS