During the working program in Japan, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had meetings and discussions with the leadership of AEON Group and a delegation of businesses from the Central and Southern regions of Japan in Hiroshima.
During the meeting with Mr. Akio Yoshida, CEO of AEON Group, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh highly appreciated the positive and effective contributions of AEON in the development of retail and export sectors in Vietnam.
According to the Prime Minister, Vietnam has five important fundamental factors that AEON and other investors can expand their investment and business in Vietnam, including: Vietnam identifies consumption as a driving force for growth; with a market of over 100 million people, the young population and the middle-class population are increasing significantly, striving to become a country with high average income by 2030; the Vietnam-Japan relationship is increasingly developing well; Japanese goods are favored by Vietnamese people; Vietnam has a diverse range of goods with strengths in agriculture, food, textiles, footwear, and is becoming more environmentally friendly, in line with the global consumer trend.
The Prime Minister suggested that AEON choose Vietnam as its business base in the world. AEON will continue to invest in more commercial centers, outlet areas in suburban regions, combining shopping with entertainment; invest in building commercial centers not only in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Thua Thien Hue, Can Tho, Thanh Hoa as at present, but also expand to provinces and cities with high average income per capita, dense population, and are service and tourist centers such as Quang Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Thai Nguyen, Nghe An, Central Highlands, Khanh Hoa, An Giang.
The Prime Minister also proposed that AEON enhance imports and involve Vietnamese goods in the global supply chain, especially in areas where Vietnam has strengths such as leather shoes, aquatic products, agricultural products, and food. Vietnam is building a brand for its products and investing in synchronized logistics services to create favorable conditions and reduce costs for products. In particular, the Prime Minister suggested that AEON provide scholarships for students and participate in training human resources for Vietnam.
Mr. Akio Yoshida, CEO of AEON Group, stated that Vietnam is currently the largest investment destination for AEON in the world, with over 1.18 billion USD. AEON has opened 6 commercial centers in major provinces and cities in Vietnam such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Thua Thien Hue.
In agreement with the opinions of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in the coming time, AEON will develop approximately 20 commercial centers in Vietnam, focusing on supermarkets and entertainment. In addition, the Group will expand the import of Vietnamese goods for distribution in over 20,000 commercial centers in Japan. AEON will also allocate scholarships to support Vietnam in training human resources.