The embassy of Vietnam in Doha has marked the Vietnamese National Day at Expo 2023 Doha with various activities that gave special focus on its local heritage, music, folklore and the agriculture development of the country among other fields.
Vietnamese ambassador Tran Duc Hung welcomed the participating guests that included Expo 2023 Doha secretary-general Mohamed Ali al-Khouri, a number of heads of different diplomatic missions in Qatar, and other officials alongside a good number of the Vietnamese community members in Doha and other guests.
In his address at the ceremony, Tran stressed the strong and steadily growing Qatar-Vietnam relations and their mutual co-operation in various fields since the establishment of their diplomatic relations in 1993.
"The government and people of Vietnam consider Qatar a good friend and an important potential partner in the Middle East, Tran said. “We highly appreciate the brilliant achievements Qatar has gained under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir and attaches great importance to building up bilateral relations between the two countries to a higher level.”
“We especially congratulate Qatar as the host of Expo 2023 Doha, the first-ever horticulture exhibition in a desert country,” he added.
The envoy thanked the expo organising committee for giving the Vietnam embassy the opportunity to mark its National Day in such an amazing atmosphere.
Tran also spoke about Vietnam’s agricultural sector and its development as a country that has become a major player in that sector globally.
“Vietnam has found great opportunities at Expo 2023 Doha to share its knowledge and practices, and connect with partners worldwide to promote agricultural co-operation in a new era and jointly address global challenges, including desertification, climate change and food security,” he stated. “Within the framework of Expo 2023, I happily share with you that the Vietnamese pavilion has successfully introduced Vietnam’s top exports, such as cashew nuts, black pepper, rice, coffee, tea, spices, fruits, handicraft, and others to visitors, importers and suppliers."
He added that "some Vietnamese companies succeeded in connecting with partners from Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman to bring their agricultural products into those markets”.
The Vietnam pavilion, the envoy said, is also helping Vietnamese companies reach out to a number of businesses from Africa.
He cited trade discussions between Vietnam and Ethiopia, and between Vietnam and Panama.
“Vietnam is working hard to unlock more markets for its products and at the same time to position itself as a reliable partner for Qatar and other countries in developing sustainable agriculture and addressing food security," Tran said.
The ambassador further highlighted Vietnam's efforts on "the process of shifting from a production-focused model to an economic, green and circular agricultural model”.
In this regard, he said, Vietnam remains committed to efforts in restructuring its agricultural sector, promoting the development of green, clean, ecological, organic, high-tech and intelligent agriculture and adapting to climate change.
Al-Khouri expressed his appreciation for the efforts taken by Vietnam in the agriculture and farming sectors, and wished the country more successes and achievement in the future.
The National Day event featured a number of folk music performances, a mini traditional Vietnamese fashion show, live cooking of local dishes, and a tour of Vietnam pavilion at the expo.
