Events planned to mark 30 years of Vietnam-Qatar ties

A variety of activities are set to be organised throughout the year to promote relations between Qatar and Vietnam in different fields to mark the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations, Vietnam’s ambassador to Qatar Tran Duc Hung said Tuesday.Addressing a press conference at the embassy, he stressed that "over the past 30 years, Vietnam and Qatar have enjoyed excellent relations based on common faith and mutual interests”.The envoy said that Vietnam-Qatar relations have been nurtured and developed in various areas, with contacts and exchange of visits on various levels of leadership having cemented bilateral relations."A number of agreements signed have created a legal framework to promote bilateral relations,” Tran said. "Economic co-operation has been developed with the two-way trade volume reaching approximately $500mn.”The ambassador said that the tour operators of both countries also held events to promote tourism.To mark the 30th anniversary of bilateral relations, the embassy of Vietnam will organise a variety of activities and cultural exchanges, including movie screening, photo exhibitions, art performance and food festivals, to be held simultaneously in both countries.The envoy noted that the embassy has supported Vietnamese enterprises to introduce Vietnamese products to the Qatar market."We also connected the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) with a number of leading Vietnamese enterprises,” Tran said"For example, Vietnam’s embassy has connected the QIA with Vingroup, a largest private conglomerate in Vietnam,” he elaborated. "The QIA has invested $300mn in a joint project with Vingroup.”"We also connected Hoa Phat Group, a major steel manufacturer in Vietnam, with Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar and QatarEnergy to study the possibility of building a $1bn steel factory in Qatar,” he added. "In addition, the embassy provided information about the Vietnamese market for a number of real estate and investment companies such as International Power Holding Group and International Development Holding Company.”"Vietnam is expected to export products such as rice, coffee, cashew nuts, seafood, textile and footwear to Qatar,” the envoy continued. "Despite its modest quantity and variety, I hope that this field of co-operation will be expanded in the coming years.”"Vietnam could be a good destination for Qatari investment in agriculture and food production,” Tran said. "Qatar is expected to invest in the building of factories for food manufacturing and processing.”He also noted that Qatar has become a popular destination for international sport events."I am confident that with excellent experience of organising the FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar will be successful in hosting the 2023 AFC Asian Cup,” Tran added.