The wives of the Japanese and Vietnamese Prime Ministers, Suga Mariko (front, left) and Tran Nguyet Thu (front, right), visit the Temple of Literature on October 19 (Photo: VNA)

They were joined by President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations Nguyen Phuong Nga, leaders of the Vietnam Women’s Union, and the wife of the Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam.

At the Temple of Literature, the two learned of the history of the special national relic - the first university of Vietnam and honouring the traditional fondness for learning and reflecting the quintessence of the country’s culture and civilisation.

Touring the Vietnamese Women’s Museum, they had a glance at the history, cultural heritage, and lives of Vietnamese women throughout history.

Japanese PM Suga Yoshihide and his spouse are paying an official visit to Vietnam from October 18 to 20 amid the strong and substantive development of the two countries’ extensive strategic partnership and political trust.

Vietnam and Japan set up diplomatic relations on September 21, 1973. Japan is currently Vietnam’s fourth-largest trade partner, with bilateral trade reaching 40 billion USD. It ranks second among the 138 countries and territories investing in Vietnam, with 4,595 projects and nearly 59.87 billion USD in capital. Japan is also Vietnam’s largest provider of ODA.

Bilateral ties have been continually elevated over recent years, with the “extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia” established in 2014./.VNA