Reporter: Dear Deputy General Director, at the end of October, the VSS successfully organized a Dialogue Conference with Japanese FDI Enterprises in the Northern region. Could you elaborate more on the notable outcomes from this event?

Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh: First and foremost, it's crucial to emphasize that this event was organized by VSS with the aim of contributing to a special milestone in the Vietnam-Japan relationship, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1973-2023), further enhancing the relationship between Vietnam and Japan to a new level.

The dialogue conference saw the participation of representatives from various governmental and functional organizations from Japan, including: Mr. Yamada Takio - Japanese Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Vietnam; Mr. Sasaki Shohei - Secretary, Japanese Embassy in Vietnam; Mr. Kinoshita Tadahiro - President of the Japan Business Association in Vietnam; Mr. Yoshida Susumu - Secretary-General of the Japan Business Association in Vietnam; Mr. Ueda Masaya - Secretary-General of the Japan Business Association in Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Tokuaki Shobayashi - Health Policy Advisor, Japan International Cooperation Organization.

Significantly, the conference was attended by representatives from 130 Japanese FDI Enterprises in 6 provinces and cities: Hanoi, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh.

Through the conference, numerous issues related to the implementation of social and health insurance policies and laws were adequately addressed and resolved for Japanese FDI Enterprises.

At this event, the VSS officially launched the VssID application in Japanese. This tool assists Japanese enterprises and laborers working and participating in social insurance in Vietnam by allowing them to regularly update and track information about their social insurance contributions and benefits.

Illustrative image (VSS)

Reporter: It's known that this is the second time VSS Vietnam has organized a dialogue with Japanese FDI Enterprises. Could you please share more about the importance of this event?

Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh: Absolutely, in 2022, also in October, the VSS held a similar dialogue conference with the participation of numerous Japanese enterprises operating in the Southern region, especially in Ho Chi Minh City.

With the success of the previous conference, the VSS continued to organize this year's conference. This is driven by practical demands in fulfilling the tasks of the social insurance sector and due to the substantial scale of business activities of Japanese enterprises in Vietnam.

Not only is Japan the largest provider of ODA development assistance to Vietnam, but it also stands as a country with a significant amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam, with over 5,000 investment projects totaling nearly USD 70.97 billion. Particularly, there are over 2,100 enterprises with 547,100 employees participating in social insurance, including 545,500 Vietnamese workers and 1,600 foreign workers. The social insurance contributions from these units account for over 13% of the total contributions from the FDI business bloc in Vietnam.

From the aforementioned statistics, it's evident that there is a substantial practical need for dialogues and information exchange on social insurance and health insurance among Japanese FDI Enterprises. This dialogue conference was organized to somewhat meet this demand, propagate it further, and continue facilitating the implementation of social and health insurance for employees in over 2,100 Japanese FDI Enterprises.

Additionally, as mentioned earlier, 2023 marks a significant milestone in the Vietnam-Japan relationship, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (1973-2023). Just as the spirit emphasized by the Prime Minister of Vietnam regarding the relationship between the two countries: "Sincere, affectionate, trustworthy, substantial, and effective."

Reporter: After this dialogue conference, how will the VSS enhance its direction to continue collaborating on social and health insurance with Japanese partner organizations?

Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh: In the general context of globalization and the increasingly interconnected bilateral relationship between Vietnam and Japan, there's a growing trend of labor mobility. Presently, there are around 500,000 Vietnamese individuals living, studying, and working in Japan, while nearly 24,000 Japanese people reside and work in Vietnam.

Within this trend, organizing the implementation of social and health insurance policies must be executed with an emphasis on international cooperation. Specifically, bilateral agreements on social insurance should be signed to ensure better rights for workers.

In fact, from 2018 to date, the VSS has actively cooperated with units in the Working Group on the Vietnam-Japan Social Insurance Agreement, regularly exchanging information and the implementation status of social insurance policies in each country. Initial steps have been planned, including drafting a framework agreement and subsequent procedures before the two countries officially launch negotiations for a bilateral social insurance agreement.

It can be affirmed that this will be a new milestone in the cooperative relationship aimed at ensuring social security for the citizens of both countries.

Reporter: Sir, can we delve a bit further into this issue? It's known that in recent years, not only with Japanese enterprises but also with foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises, the VSS frequently organizes dialogues. What message does it aim to convey through these events?

Deputy General Director Dao Viet Anh: Following the trend of globalization, Vietnam has been expanding its diplomatic relations with many countries worldwide. Beyond shared economic development goals, ensuring social security, particularly the rights regarding social and health insurance for Vietnamese workers, as well as workers from other countries, is of utmost importance.

It's crucial to emphasize that the benefits related to social security or social insurance and health insurance rights for workers are truly meaningful. Ultimately, these are essential goals for business development and production, factors that ensure sustainable economic cooperation for all parties involved.

Take, for example, the VssID application: aside from the Japanese version, we've developed versions in English, Korean, and Chinese. This diversification caters to the increasingly varied needs arising from bilateral and multilateral cooperation regarding social and health insurance.

We sincerely appreciate it, Sir!