Representatives of Japanese enterprises operating in Ho Chi Minh City made suggestions to improve services at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, saying that the services and infrastructure at the airdrome are far behind those in other Southeast Asian countries.

At a roundtable with the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee, the Japanese enterprises said the airport hygiene and its parking area need improving.

They also complained that check-in and immigration procedures at the airport are extremely time-consuming.

In August this year, five airports in Vietnam, including Tan Son Nhat, launched automatic immigration gates for Vietnamese passengers and foreigners with temporary or permanent residence cards issued by Vietnamese authorities.

However, foreigners have yet to be allowed to use the gates as informed. Meanwhile, Vietnamese passengers do not seem to notice the gates and often wait for their turn in long lines.

As a result, the representatives of the Japanese enterprises proposed the airport arrange lanes for Vietnamese and international passengers as in other regional countries.

At the meeting, Japanese Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Ono Masuo said Japanese enterprises faced four main obstacles during their operation in the city, including those related to taxes, customs, law-labor, and the environment.

The Japanese firms also suggested that municipal authorities share information, incentives, and the list of projects for which the city calls for foreign investment to pave the way for them to expand their investment in the city.

Municipal chairman Phan Van Mai said the city wanted to boost its investment and trade cooperation with Japanese investors.

After Vietnam and Japan upgraded their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership last month, there is still ample room for cooperation between investors and municipalities from both countries.

The meeting was a great opportunity for Ho Chi Minh City to learn about and remove obstacles confronting Japanese enterprises, chairman Mai said, adding that the city is committed to working with the Japanese enterprises.

Ho Chi Minh City is currently home to nearly 1,700 Japanese-invested projects, or 14 percent of its total foreign-invested projects, with a combined investment of over US$5.7 billion.

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