Activities

Consultation & Support

Free advice on work (VAWORK), visas and daily life; legal seminars; emergency relief

Overview

VAJ runs free consultation channels for the Vietnamese community in Japan covering labor, visa, administrative procedures, and daily life. During exceptional periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic, this support expanded into material relief for compatriots in difficulty.

VAWORK — Consultation portal for workers

VAWORK is the consultation portal that VAJ operates for Vietnamese workers in Japan. The October 2024 – September 2025 program received a grant from the Central Community Chest of Japan (Akaihane Welfare Fund) and the Mitsubishi Foundation (三菱財団) through the 5th edition of the「外国にルーツがある人々への支援活動応援助成」grant.

During this period, VAWORK received and handled 531 cases, completed support for 247 cases, and recorded an NPS of 81.25. Consultations focused on labor relations, visa, job changes, and the practical issues of daily life.

Visit VAWORK →

Daily-life & visa consultation

Beyond VAWORK, VAJ partners with lawyers and specialists to host regular seminars on engineer visas, work visas, and other residency statuses (see the bulletinWork Visa Consultation Seminar — February 2023). Sessions are held both in person and online, free of charge for the community.

Labor consultation: contracts, wages, job changes, and disputes with employers.
Visa consultation: renewals, status changes, and procedures for family members.
Administrative support: insurance, tax, and housing.
Emergency assistance during natural disasters, epidemics, or personal crises.

Recent seminars:

Seminar “Japanese Pensions – Benefits Vietnamese Residents Shouldn’t Miss” (VAWORK Vol.11, August 2026)
Seminar “Japan’s 2026 Immigration Law Reform – What Vietnamese Residents Need to Know” (July 2026)
Seminar “Moving Out Made Easy” on returning rental housing (May 2023)
Orientation sharing tips for newly arrived international students (2021)

Community relief — lessons from COVID-19

Between April 2020 and July 2021, VAJ ran five waves of community relief in response to the pandemic, supporting more than 1,000 compatriots across21 prefectures nationwide. The experience of mobilizing quickly in a crisis became the foundation for how VAJ approaches emergencies today.