Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife begin an official visit to the State of Kuwait.

At exactly 1:30 p.m. on November 16, local time, the plane carrying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived at Kuwait International Airport, beginning an official visit to the State of Kuwait at the invitation of Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah from November 16 to 18, 2025.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife begin an official visit to the State of Kuwait. (Photo: VNA)

Welcoming Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation at Kuwait International Airport, on the host country side were members of the Kuwaiti Royal Family, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Kuwait Basel Humood AL Sabah; Minister in charge of Social Affairs, Labor, Family and Youth Amthal Al Huwaila; and Kuwaiti Ambassador to Vietnam Yousef Ashour Al-Sabbagh. On the Vietnamese side were Vietnamese Ambassador to Kuwait Nguyen Duc Thang, officials and staff of the Embassy.

This is the first visit of the Prime Minister of Vietnam to Kuwait in 16 years, which is of great significance, not only for the bilateral relations between Vietnam and Kuwait but also clearly demonstrates Vietnam's foreign policy towards the region. Vietnam wishes to continue to strengthen the friendly relations, enhance political trust, expand the market and exploit potential areas of cooperation with Kuwait. Taking place in the context of the two countries preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the visit contributes to strengthening and promoting bilateral relations, aiming to bring Vietnam-Kuwait cooperation to a new level, making practical contributions to the development of each country.

Welcoming ceremony for Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife to begin his official visit to Kuwait. (Photo: VNA)

In economic relations, two-way trade turnover in 2024 will reach about 7.3 billion USD, mainly crude oil trade deficit. Vietnam exports to Kuwait products such as seafood, vegetables, cashew nuts, pepper, wood, spare parts, components, etc. Regarding investment: Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) is participating with Japan in the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex (NSRP) project with a total investment of 9 billion USD and a commitment to long-term crude oil supply for the Plant. The project started construction in October 2013 and held the Commercial Operation Opening Ceremony in December 2018. The project annually supplies about 5-7 million tons of gasoline and oil to the domestic market. The Kuwaiti government has recognized Vietnam as a market economy (February 2016).

The two countries cooperate and support each other at multilateral forums. Since 2019, the Kuwaiti government has provided 13 Arabic language scholarships for Vietnamese students. Vietnam began sending workers to Kuwait in 1996. At its peak before 2008, there were about 2,000 Vietnamese workers in Kuwait. Since 2008, Kuwait's demand for workers has decreased significantly.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Kuwait donated 600,000 doses of vaccine to Vietnam (October 2021). Regarding cooperation between localities: The two sides signed a cooperation agreement between Ho Chi Minh City and Ahmadi province (December 2010); between Thanh Hoa province and Al Farwaniyh province (April 2018). The Kuwaiti government also provided non-refundable aid of 3,225,000 USD to the central provinces of Vietnam to overcome damage caused by natural disasters in 2013 and 2017.

On the afternoon of November 16 (local time), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his wife and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation arrived at Kuwait International Airport to begin an official visit to Kuwait at the invitation of Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah. (Photo: VNA)

Regarding informal development assistance: The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development has provided ODA capital for 15 projects in localities in Vietnam with a total capital of more than 190 million USD. The Vietnamese community in Kuwait currently has about 200-300 people, mainly contract workers working mainly in the fields of domestic work, beauty, oil and gas, hotels, etc.

After the official visit to the State of Kuwait, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife, along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, will pay an official visit to the Democratic Republic of Algeria at the invitation of Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb; attend the G20 Summit and bilateral activities in South Africa from November 18 to 24, 2025 at the invitation of the President of the Republic of South Africa, G20 Chair 2025, Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ha Thanh Giang

Source: https://nhandan.vn/thu-tuong-pham-minh-chinh-va-phu-nhan-bat-dau-chuyen-tham-chinh-thuc-nha-nuoc-kuwait-post923507.html