King and Queen of Bhutan arrive in Hanoi, starting State visit to Vietnam

Quốc vương Bhutan và Hoàng hậu đến Hà Nội, bắt đầu chuyến thăm cấp Nhà nước tới Việt Nam

Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religion Dao Ngoc Dung welcomed Bhutanese King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen at Noi Bai International Airport. (Source: VNA)

On the afternoon of August 18, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck arrived in Hanoi , beginning a State visit to Vietnam from August 18-22, at the invitation of President Luong Cuong and his wife.

Welcoming the delegation at Noi Bai International Airport were Minister of Ethnic Minorities and Religions Dao Ngoc Dung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Manh Cuong and representatives of the Office of the President , and representatives of relevant units of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Accompanying the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and the Queen on their State visit to Vietnam were Venerable Sangay Dorji, Central Sangha of Bhutan; Mr. DNDhungyel, Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Trade of Bhutan; Mr. Namgyal Dorji, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Employment of Bhutan; Mr. Dasho Ugyen K. Namgyel, Assistant to the King; Mr. Sonam Wangyel, Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs of Bhutan; Mr. Karma Wangchuk, Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Bhutan; Mr. Kinzang Dorji, Ambassador of Bhutan to Thailand and concurrently to Vietnam.

Vietnam and Bhutan established diplomatic relations on January 19, 2012. The two countries have a good friendship. High-ranking leaders of the two countries often exchange telegrams on the occasion of events.

The two countries have potential for tourism, especially Buddhist and spiritual tourism. Vietjet Air has organized flights to carry tourists to Bhutan on specialized routes.

More and more Vietnamese tourists are interested in Bhutan - a destination famous for its image as the "Kingdom of Happiness," pristine nature and meditation experiences.

The two countries are also looking towards cooperation in the fields of religion, especially Buddhism, education and human resource exchange. Bhutan attaches importance to cooperation with Vietnam in exchanging academic and cultural delegations and promoting people-to-people exchanges at regional and international forums.

At multilateral cooperation mechanisms, Vietnam and Bhutan participate in forums such as ESCAP and the United Nations, sharing views on sustainable development, climate change adaptation and promoting South-South cooperation. The two countries often coordinate with each other at multilateral forums.