VFF Secretary General Lê Hoài Anh expressed his pleasure at the growing comprehensive cooperation in football between the two countries. The Japanese side has helped Vietnamese football players enhance their professional skills, he said, citing that Z.Com, Yanmar and Suzuki are now main sponsors of the Vietnamese national squad.

Japan’s world leading automobile manufacturer Toyota has also accompanied professional tourneys in Vietnam, he added. Head of the Japanese delegation Yukiharu Hirata said Mimasaka was selected to be one of the cities to join the organisation of the Tokyo Olympics. The city is home to a modern sports training centre with three natural football grounds and two artificial ones, he said. He expressed his hope to welcome Vietnamese sports delegations, particularly the female football team, to exchange with Japanese partners in Mimasaka in 2017.