Vietnam leader To Lam visits Japan as decades-old relationship evolves

International relations Vietnam leader To Lam visits Japan as decades-old relationship evolves Vietnamese resident numbers increase as economic reliance on Tokyo wanes back home Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, left, shakes hands with Vietnamese Communist Party chief To Lam in Hanoi on May 2. Lam's visit to Tokyo from Nov. 8 comes as the decades-old Japan-Vietnam relationship undergoes a shift in trade, investment, aid and people-to-people ties. © AP ATSUSHI TOMIYAMA November 8, 2026 16:24 JST TOKYO -- Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam arrived in Japan on Sunday against the backdrop of a bilateral relationship that looks very different from the one built over previous decades. Read Next Energy Japan to back Vietnam's small-reactor push in revived nuclear cooperation Retail Japan's Aeon pins hopes on Vietnam to drive next phase of Asian growth Transportation Vingroup and France's Alstom strike 200-train Hanoi metro deal International relations Vietnam's To Lam taps global diplomacy to fuel growth drive Transportation Vietnam sets December 2027 for north-south bullet train construction start International relations Vietnam's pragmatic path toward Myanmar on display in Min Aung Hlaing visit Energy Vietnam's parliament approves first nuclear project Latest on International relations International relations Astellas employee jailed in China on spy charge set for December release International relations Putin orders seizure of more Japan Tobacco assets in Russia International relations Japanese companies caught in crossfire of Beijing-Tokyo rift Sponsored Content About Sponsored Content This content was commissioned by Nikkei's Global Business Bureau.