Japan's crown prince praises Vietnam ties during Hanoi visit

HANOI (Reuters) - Japan's Crown Prince Akishino met Vietnam's President Vo Van Thuong on Friday, a day after praising ties between the two countries during a six-day visit to the country.

Japan is the largest source of official development aid to Vietnam, and is the Southeast Asian country's third largest source of foreign direct investment totalling $70 billion.

Akishino's visit with his wife, Crown Princess Kiko, akihcoincides with Japan and Vietnam celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

"I hope this visit will contribute to further deepening mutual understanding and the friendly bond between the people of our two countries" Akishino said at an event in Hanoi late on Thursday to celebrate the milestone.

Bilateral trade rose 10.9% last year to $47.6 billion, according to Vietnam's customs data.

Vietnam's largest exports to Japan include garments, wooden furniture and aquatic products, while it imports mainly electronics, machinery and steel from Japan.

Akishino is scheduled to head to the central cities of Danang and Hoi An, where he said Japanese trading activities thrived during the 16th and 17th centuries.

In 2017, Emperor Akihito became the first Japanese emperor to visit Vietnam.

(Reporting by Khanh Vu and Thinh Nguyen; Editing by Alexander Smith)