By Ayman AdlyStaff Reporter“There is a great potential for economic co-operation between Qatar and Vietnam,” said Le Hong Phan, the ambassador of Vietnam in Qatar, yesterday at a community gathering and a flag hoisting ceremony celebrating the 66th National Day of Vietnam. The envoy pointed out there has been an agreement with Qatar to “lay down the legal foundation of economic co-operation” between the two countries. The Vietnamese community in Qatar is quite small; there are around 500-600 workers. There are also around 30 families. Most of the Vietnamese labour force works in the construction and service sector. Vietnam hopes to increase the number of workers coming to Qatar. However, most companies complain that it is becoming hard to get work visas for Vietnamese workers.Over the last three years, high ranking delegations from the two countries have been on visits and bilateral relationships are getting stronger. The two countries have already signed agreements and memorandums of understanding in five fields such as reciprocal promotion and protection of investment, avoidance of double taxation, airborne transportation, and agricultural and investment co-operation.Bilateral trade volume between the two countries still remain modest. Yet, there is on-going cooperation in the field of energy. There is also a multi-billion project with Qatari participation in Vietnam in the petrochemical products industry.
The ambassador said the Vietnamese community in Qatar are happy and like living here. He hoped that in the near future there would be more Vietnamese coming to the country. In the fast five years, Vietnamese GDP has recorded an annual average growth of 7%. GDP in 2010 grew to more than double of the 2000 figure. Consequently, the country has surpassed the living standard line of low-income country, becoming a middle-income one. It is also expected that trade between Qatar and Vietnam will increase considerably in the coming years.