The Vietnamese embassy in Doha Monday marked Vietnam’s 81st Independence Day at a reception hosted by its ambassador, Nguyen Huy Hiep.
The event was attended by His Excellency Dr Ali bin Saeed bin Smaikh al-Marri, Minister of Labour; His Excellency ambassador Ibrahim Fakhroo, director of the Protocol Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a number of ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions, among other guests.
Nguyen highlighted the already strong and friendly Qatar-Vietnam relations, noting that over the past years such relations have steadily grown stronger and much deeper in all areas.
"Vietnam and Qatar established diplomatic relations in 1993. Over more than three decades, the bilateral relationship has continued to develop positively across a wide range of areas, founded on trust, mutual respect and mutual benefit.
"Both sides have established co-operation mechanisms, including the Joint Committee and Political Consultations between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs, providing an important foundation for sustaining exchanges and fostering bilateral ties.
"In particular, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Qatar in October 2024 provided significant momentum and opened a new chapter of co-operation, especially in the economic, trade, investment and energy sectors,” the envoy said, addressing the ceremony.
He said: "In 2025, bilateral trade turnover reached $700mn, with Vietnam’s primary exports to Qatar including machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts; iron and steel products; vessels; computers, electronic products and components, and seafood; while our main imports from Qatar included gas, plastics, other base metals and chemicals.”
However, he admitted that "the current volume of trade remains modest compared to our potential and complementarities of our two economies. There is therefore considerable scope to expand market access, diversify the range of traded goods and increase bilateral trade value in the years ahead.”
Nguyen pointed out that "according to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar currently has one direct investment project in Vietnam within the processing and manufacturing sector, with a total registered capital of $3.23mn.
In addition, according to Qatar sources, the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has invested approximately $500mn indirectly in a number of real estate and industrial projects in Vietnam through development banks and third-party investment funds.”
During an official visit to Qatar in October 2024, Nguyen said the Vietnamese Prime Minister encouraged QIA to increase its investment in Vietnam, particularly in strategic sectors, paving the way for more substantive and effective bilateral investment ties in the period ahead.
He stressed that Vietnam strongly welcomes Qatari investment in all fields as the country opens more to the private sector, where Qataris can invest and establish long-term operations in Vietnam, while encouraging Vietnamese businesses to expand their presence in Qatar.
Regarding the recent regional situation, the envoy said: "We are facing a number of serious security challenges and unpredictable developments as the continuing conflict has further heightened tensions and expanded to involve multiple countries in the region, with serious repercussions for global energy security and the international economy.”
He stressed that: "Vietnam condemns the use of force in violation of international law, the Charter of the United Nations, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of States. Vietnam supports the approach of maintaining dialogue and resolving conflicts through peaceful means, as is currently being pursued by Qatar. "
Further, Nguyen said: "Vietnam highly appreciates the diplomatic efforts of all countries in the region and the international community, particularly Qatar’s active role as a mediator in de-escalating tensions and working towards a sustainable solution for regional peace and stability.”
Accordingly, he wished both countries and their peoples continued peace and prosperity as their mutual excellent relations grow deeper over the years.