The outgoing Ambassador of Viet Nam to Bangladesh  Pham Viet Chien called on the State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, MP, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. 

The State Minister and the Viet Nam Envoy exchanged greetings and warm felicitations on the historic occasion of the Golden Jubilee of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two friendly countries this year. 

Referring to the unprecedented sufferings, immense sacrifice and heroic struggle for independence by both the countries, Mr. Shahriar Alam observed that both the counties were fortunate in having the charismatic and visionary leaders like the Father of Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the great leader Ho Chi Minh, who dedicated their lives for the emancipation of the people of their respective nation. He also highlighted the phenomenal socio-economic progress of Bangladesh under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina under her Vision-2041 and Delta Plan-2100. 

Both the State Minister and the Viet Nam Ambassador reiterated their strong commitment and readiness for further revitalizing the existing excellent bilateral relations, particularly in context of the milestone occasion of the Golden Jubilee of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Mr. Shahriar Alam stressed the importance of more exchange of high level visits in order to infuse the bilateral relations with more dynamism and vitality.

Lauding the rapid economic growth of Viet Nam, State Minister Mr. Shahriar Alam emphasized on an accelerated tapping into the potentials of trade and investment prevailing in Bangladesh by the Viet Nam business and investors for the mutual benefit of the two countries. He expressed his keen interest on the complementarity vis-à-vis the relocation of textile and fashion industry in Bangladesh and urged to create a more robust synergies among the business community of the two countries. He encouraged facilitation of more frequent business-to-business contacts to harness the optimum economic gains through deep and more diversified economic cooperation between the two countries.

 The State Minister for Foreign Affairs urged Viet Nam to explore Bangladesh as a sourcing destination for products like, pharmaceuticals, ICT products and services, leather and leather goods, agro-products, ceramic products, bi-cycles, vegetable and fish-products, eco-friendly jute products, handicrafts, etc, in addition to the RMG, which would help achieve a better balance in the bilateral trade. 

State Minister Shahriar Alam appreciated Viet Nam’s continuous support in resolving the crisis of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals and sought a more pro-active role from both ASEAN and Viet Nam on the repatriation of these people to their homeland in Myanmar. He also voiced caution that further prolongation of the crisis would have region-wide security implications as those people remain vulnerable to exploitation. The State Minister also sought Viet Nam’s stronger support for Bangladesh’s inclusion as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the ASEAN on an expeditious basis.    

The State Minister congratulated the Ambassador on his successful completion of duty in Dhaka and for his valuable contributions for further strengthening Bangladesh-Viet Nam bilateral relations despite difficulties posed by the pandemic. The Ambassador thanked the Government of Bangladesh and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for every support during his assignment in Dhaka.

The envoy also called on Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Ambassador Masud Bin Momen today and discussed issues of bilateral interests.