Nguyen Thi Thu Giang, Deputy Director of the Europe Department under Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

Nguyen Thi Thu Giang, Deputy Director of the Europe Department under Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) and Grete Lochen, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam had a virtual talk to discuss the preparation of activities to celebrate the 50 anniversary of the bilateral diplomacy establishment.

At the meeting, Nguyen Thi Thu Giang shared VUFO's plans to celebrate the anniversary and asked for the Norwegian Embassy's cooperation in organizing the events.

Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam Grete Lochen highly appreciated Vietnamese and Norwegian friendship. The Ambassador said she would continue to discuss with VUFO to plan upcoming commemorative activities.

The two sides agreed to step up external information activities to enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples, bring Vietnam's image closer to the Norwegian people and vice versa, thereby promoting cooperative and friendly relations between the two countries.

Grete Lochen, Norwegian Ambassador to Vietnam. (Photo: Tuan Viet)

Norway is one of the first Western countries to establish relations with Vietnam. The two countries are about to celebrate their 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations establishment (November 25, 1971 - November 25, 2021). Vietnam and Norway have successfully held many high-level visits and implemented cooperation in diverse fields such as marine economy, culture, education, and tourism.

Vietnam and Norway both have long coastlines. Therefore, the countries have the strengths to cooperate in aquaculture, maritime, oil and gas, renewable energy, and environmental improvement. Thousands of Vietnamese are currently working on Norwegian farms and have made significant contributions to the Nordic country's agriculture.

Vietnamese seafood, vegetables, textiles, footwear, iron and steel products, wood products, pepper are exported to Norway. Meanwhile, Norway mainly exports seafood, chemical products, fertilizers, equipment, machinery to Vietnam.

Norway has 41 valid investment projects in Vietnam with a total registered capital of USD 166 million, ranking 41st out of 130 countries and territories investing in Vietnam. The projects are mostly located in Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau, Hanoi, Khanh Hoa, Binh Duong, and Hai Phong. The country is also one of the largest donors to Vietnam under the United Nations Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN-REDD).

Regarding education collaboration, Vietnam has received a privilege from Norway in terms of scholarship programs for international students. Each year, more than 200 scholarships of established universities are granted, which helps overseas students, including Vietnamese, expose to professional academic education in Norway. Furthermore, Norway is actively assisting Vietnam to improve education coverage to vulnerable subjects like ethnic minority residents and disabled children.

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