TOKYO - Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Le Tien Chau told the NIKKEI Forum Future of Asia in Tokyo on June 11 that Vietnam is working to cut legal bottlenecks for businesses and investors, after urging Japan on June 10 to ease visas for Vietnamese citizens and support nearly 700,000 Vietnamese people in the country. 

Le spoke in the Day 2-3 session at 10:50 a.m. JST. NIKKEI listed Yuji Nitta, Hanoi Bureau Chief of Nikkei Inc., as moderator. The forum said English and Japanese simultaneous interpretation was available. 

The visa request came during Le’s June 10 meeting with Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Mori Eisuke. 

VietnamPlus, Vietnam’s state-owned news agency, reported that Le asked Japan’s parliament to support continued visa simplification and work toward visa exemptions for Vietnamese citizens. He also asked Japan to maintain favourable conditions for nearly 700,000 Vietnamese people living, studying and working there. 

At the Tokyo forum, Le was asked about legal transparency, regulatory stability and the ability of foreign investors to predict Vietnam’s future regulatory framework. He said Vietnam had merged major ministries, removed one administrative layer and was reviewing its legal system after a wider restructuring of the state apparatus. 

“For businesses and investors in Vietnam, stability is one of the prerequisites,” Le said through interpretation. He said Vietnam would keep effective policies, improve transparency and cut bottlenecks facing businesses and citizens. 

The same legal theme appeared in his meeting with Mori. VietnamPlus said Le called for legislative bodies to help turn high-level commitments into action and establish a favourable legal framework for bilateral economic cooperation. 

National Statistics Office data released on June 4 showed Vietnam drew $24.81 billion in registered foreign direct investment as of May 31, up 34.9% from a year earlier, including 1,576 newly licensed projects worth $14.84 billion. 

Realized FDI reached $9.75 billion in the first five months of 2026, the highest January-May level in five years. Among 58 countries and territories with newly licensed projects, Japan ranked fourth with $712.6 million, behind Singapore, South Korea and China 

Le also raised mobility with Japan’s foreign ministry. Vietnam.vn, another Vietnam government-owned portal, reported that he asked Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu on June 10 to cooperate in simplifying entry procedures for Vietnamese citizens, with a target of doubling two-way tourist numbers.