The Order honors Thang's contributions to increasing economic cooperation between Vietnam and Japan. When he was in office, Phan Huu Thang had several initiatives including setting up the "Japan Desk" in 2014, the section in charge of supporting Japanese businesses in Vietnam, and the Japan - Vietnam initiative which improved the business environment. The Japanese Ambassador thanked Phan Huu Thang for his contributions. More than 3,000 Japanese firms are currently operating in Vietnam with investments totaling 8 billion USD.
