HANOI, April 28, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Japan and Vietnam agreed Monday to deepen cooperation on semiconductors and clean energy as Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba visited Hanoi seeking to shore up ties after US President Donald Trump's tariff onslaught.

Ishiba's visit -- part of a four-day trip to the region that also includes the Philippines -- follows Chinese President Xi Jinping's Southeast Asia tour in which he tried to position Beijing as a stable alternative to the United States.

Ishiba and Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed four agreements Monday including on research and development in microchips and on bilateral cooperation in energy transition.

Japan agreed to support the training of around 250 Vietnamese doctorate students in the semiconductor industry, according to the two leaders.

Long viewed as a low-cost destination to make clothes, shoes and furniture, Vietnam is now eyeing a rapid climb up the global supply chain and has put computer chips at the heart of its development plans.

Before the trip, Ishiba called Vietnam and the Philippines -- along with the rest of Southeast Asia -- a "growth centre" that is driving the world economy, but said they and Japanese businesses in the region faced "major impacts" from Trump's tariffs.

Vietnam and Japan are included in Trump's blanket 10 percent levy, although the US leader has paused his reciprocal duties of 46 percent and 24 percent respectively on the countries.

"We will support Japanese companies to invest and expand their business in Vietnam and develop human resources in the semiconductor field in Vietnam," Ishiba said.