On Decmber 11th 201, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Kunio Umeda offered the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon on behalf of the Japanese government to Phan Huu Thang, former Vietnamese director of the Foreign Investment Agency under the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
The Order honors Thang's contributions to increasing economic cooperation between Vietnam and Japan. When he was in office, Phan Huu Thang had several initiatives including setting up the "Japan Desk" in 2014, the section in charge of supporting Japanese businesses in Vietnam, and the Japan - Vietnam initiative which improved the business environment. The Japanese Ambassador thanked Phan Huu Thang for his contributions. More than 3,000 Japanese firms are currently operating in Vietnam with investments totaling 8 billion USD.
Tại buổi lễ, Thứ trưởng Bộ KH&ĐT Vũ Đại Thắng cho biết, quan hệ Việt Nam - Nhật Bản đã không ngừng phát triển, trở thành đối tác chiến lược trên mọi lĩnh vực, đặc biệt nhất là kinh tế, thương mại và đầu tư.