They made a fact-finding tour of a number of primary schools with unsafe facilities and out of date computers, as well as visiting students facing extreme hardship.

Mitsuhiro Honda, Chairman of the Friendship Association between Kumamoto and Vietnam, said they hope to implement specific plans to help those most in need, with a view to strengthening future relations between the two localities..

He added that since its establishment in 1993, the association has helped Ho Chi Minh City and Thanh Hoa province build schools and held cultural and economic exchanges between Vietnam and Japan. It plans to expand its supporting activities in northern provinces, especially in remote and impoverished localities.

The main activities of the association include, awarding scholarships and grants to poor students and donating teaching materials and facilities to schools.

The delegation also visited Trung Luong Primary School, one of the poorest schools in the province.