Continue to strengthen friendship and cultural exchange between the people of the two countries Vietnam

The comprehensive friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Romania has had new developments.

+ As a member participating in the upcoming official visit to Romania of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh , can you tell us the purpose and importance of this visit?

- The upcoming official visit to Romania by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is a very important event, which will create a new historical milestone in the friendly cooperation relationship between the two countries. Before this visit, Romania sent a delegation to study, survey, connect with Vietnam's partners, and prepare the contents for the high-ranking leaders of the two countries to have important agreements. The Vietnamese side also actively conducted research on the needs and possibilities for cooperation between the two countries because Vietnam and Romania both have their own strengths that need to be exploited and promoted.

Romania has strengths in mechanics, machinery, engineering, especially oil and gas, petrochemical, and construction engineering; in green transformation, digital transformation, communication technology, and climate change response... Meanwhile, we have strengths in agriculture and have every opportunity to bring Vietnamese goods to Romania such as agricultural products, seafood, coffee, fruits, etc.

The Free Trade Agreement and Investment Protection Agreement that Vietnam has signed with the EU will create favorable conditions for Vietnam to become a bridgehead to bring Romanian and European goods into Vietnam, and Romania to become a bridgehead for Vietnamese goods to penetrate more into the European market.

+ It is known that you have been attached to the country and people of Romania during your years of studying and living in this beautiful and hospitable country. Could you tell us a little about the history of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Romania?

- Romania and Vietnam have many good similarities in history, culture, people... In early 1950, Romania was one of the 10 countries that established diplomatic relations with the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This was very special because at that time we were in the fierce resistance war against France, so opening up to the outside and establishing diplomatic relations with other countries was especially important.

Continuing the fine tradition built and tested through historical periods, in recent years, the comprehensive friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Romania has had new developments.

continue to strengthen the friendship and cultural exchange between the people of Vietnam and Romania image 1 — Mr. Ho Quang Loi - President of Vietnam - Romania Friendship Association, former Permanent Vice President of Vietnam Journalists Association.

Recognizing the importance of developing Vietnam-Romania relations, the leaders of the two countries have conducted high-level visits, notably the official visit to Vietnam by Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Jullien Ciolos (July 2016) and the official visit to Romania by Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (April 2019). Notably, President Klaus Iohannis and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met twice at international forums.

On the occasion of attending the High-Level Week of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA, on September 20, 2023, in a sincere and open atmosphere, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with President of Romania Klaus Iohannis. At this meeting, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to the traditional friendly and cooperative relationship with Romania that has been nurtured over many generations. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that the two sides need to continue developing cooperation in labor and education and training, which are traditional areas of cooperation in which both Vietnam and Romania have needs and strengths. At the same time, the two sides will strengthen cooperation and share experiences in sustainable management of the Mekong Delta and the Danube River.

In the face of complex international developments, the two sides continue to coordinate and support each other at international forums. We highly appreciate and sincerely thank Romania for its strong support for bringing the cooperative relationship between the European Union (EU) and Vietnam to a new level. The signing of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Investment Protection Agreement (IPA) in June 2019 affirms Romania's important role and active activities during its term as rotating President of the EU Council. This is a shining testament to Romania's consistent solidarity and friendship with Vietnam.

+ After 74 years with many changes of the times, the friendly relationship between Vietnam and Romania still develops very well. Can you tell us more about this precious friendship?

- The friendly relationship between Vietnam and Romania has developed very well over time. Comprehensive cooperation between the two countries is being expanded and deepened in the fields of politics, diplomacy, trade, agriculture, industry, labor, tourism, education and training, etc. It is encouraging that the friendly relationship and cooperation between localities of the two countries are increasingly strengthened; some provinces and cities of the two countries have established twin cities; people-to-people exchange activities are increasingly abundant, demonstrating the new vitality of the close friendship between Vietnam and Romania.

It can be said that the Romanian people love the country and people of Vietnam very much and vice versa, the Vietnamese people also have sincere affection for the country and people of Romania. Although they are on two different continents and geographically far apart, the understanding, affection, sympathy and sharing between the two countries are very good and have deep similarities.

I have spent 5 years studying and living in Romania. I understand that the Romanian people's feelings for the country and people of Vietnam are very sincere and warm, especially during the years when Vietnam was going through a fierce war. The support and assistance of the Romanian Government and people to our country was extremely valuable.

That sentiment continues to be nurtured over the years. It can be said that the Vietnam - Romania friendship and cooperation have a solid foundation for development in the coming time. When the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the cooperative efforts and solidarity between our two countries were further strengthened with meaningful activities. In 2021, the Romanian Government decided to donate 300,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Vietnam at a time when the fight against Covid-19 in our country was extremely fierce and Vietnam was in dire need of vaccines. Supporting each other in difficult times, Vietnam also donated masks to Romania when the pandemic broke out in early 2020, demonstrating the deep affection of the Vietnamese people towards the Romanian people.

Expanding cooperation areas between Vietnam and Romania

+ Vietnam and Romania have cooperated in many fields. How effective are the fields of cooperation between the two countries at present, sir?

- The leaders of the two countries have identified that the important cooperation content between the two countries is economy, investment and trade. Regarding economic relations, compared to previous years, there has been an encouraging development. However, the trade exchange in 2022 reaching 425 million USD is not commensurate with the potential and strengths of the two countries, despite the growth compared to 2021.

A very meaningful event, on April 1, 2023, the Cooperation Program in the field of education and training between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of Romania for the period 2022 - 2026 was signed. Accordingly, the two sides will strive to develop and promote cooperation in the field of education and training, including the following contents: exchange of experts from each ministry; direct cooperation between recognized educational and training institutions of the two countries at all training levels; cooperation in the field of education of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). Every year, the two sides exchange on the principle of reciprocity, up to 20 full scholarships for undergraduate, master's and doctoral training in the fields agreed by both sides.

After a period of interruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, delegation exchanges between the two countries have resumed at a vibrant pace, such as: The Romanian-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Group delegation and many Romanian enterprises working in Vietnam in October 2022, the Romanian agricultural sector delegation attending the Agricultural Exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City, the working delegation including representatives of 23 prestigious Romanian universities coming to Vietnam to discuss cooperation opportunities with potential universities in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the delegation of the Ministry of Information and Communications of Vietnam attending the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Conference in Bucharest, the Hue City People's Committee delegation working in Iasi province and signing the Minutes of Twinning between Hue City and Iasi City, the Voice of Vietnam Radio delegation working in Romania.

On October 21, 2023, the Overseas Study Fair took place in Hanoi, with 8 major universities participating in Romania, including Bucuresti University, Bucuresti University of Civil Engineering, University of Pharmacy, University of Agriculture, Cluj-Napoca University, Timisoara University, Timisoara Polytechnic, and Brasov University, attracting public attention, demonstrating Romania's potential and strengths in educational and training cooperation.

The friendship and cultural exchange between the people of the two countries this year have continued to be strengthened and nurtured through activities and events in both Vietnam and Romania. In Romania, the 556-page book “Wonderful Vietnam” by Dr. Pavel Suian was launched and widely introduced, providing readers with a comprehensive picture of Vietnam, which is considered a valuable document for the Romanian people in particular and the world in general to understand more about the country and people of Vietnam.

The first concert at the Hanoi Opera House by the Romanian National Symphony Orchestra - one of the most famous symphony orchestras in Europe - on the night of November 15, 2022 was a special cultural and artistic event that caused a great stir in public opinion. On May 2, 2023, the prestigious Bucharest Symphony Orchestra continued to come and perform at the International Music Festival "Hoa Sen SoundFest 2023" at Lam Vien Square, Da Lat. Then, on June 5, 2023, Concert Harmonia woven the Vietnam-Romania friendship through sound when Hanoi music lovers enjoyed a special musical feast performed by Vietnamese and Romanian artists.

Along with that, Vietnam has a need for education and training, Romania has strengths in this field; we have an abundant labor force, Romania has a need for labor reception. One side has a need, the other side has strengths, the two sides will discuss with each other to strengthen cooperation in labor, education and training. I think that is an area where the two sides have the potential to cooperate and develop together in the future.

Promoting the bridging role of the Vietnam - Romania Friendship Association

+ It is known that the Vietnam – Romania Friendship Association plays a very important role in strengthening the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Romania. In the coming time, what plans will the Vietnam – Romania Friendship Association continue to have to promote the good relationship between the two countries to develop further?

- Over the past 32 years of establishment, the Vietnam - Romania Friendship Association has made significant contributions to building and developing the Vietnam - Romania friendship relationship. The Association has become a useful communication channel for Romanian and Vietnamese partners to meet and promote cooperation in many fields.

The most valuable contribution and touching support is that the State and people of Romania have trained for Vietnam over 4,000 engineers, bachelors, doctors, and interns in many fields of science and technology, economics, culture, diplomacy, education, etc. These are the fields in which Vietnam is in great need of high-quality human resources to contribute to the country's development after many years of war. Many people trained in Romania have become prestigious scientists and experts, and many hold important positions in the leadership apparatus at all levels of Vietnam, in particular, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was trained at the Bucharest University of Construction. The Vietnam - Romania Friendship Association has gathered thousands of active members in 14 branch organizations nationwide.

Currently, there are 2,500 Vietnamese people living and working in Romania and are always supported by the Government and people of Romania, integrating very well into the Romanian community. Along with that, we have about more than 2,000 Vietnamese workers going to Romania through labor cooperation between the two countries. This is also the core force participating in people-to-people diplomacy, contributing to the increasingly developing relationship between Vietnam and Romania.

Every year, the Association still sends delegations of the Vietnam - Romania Friendship Association to visit and work with partners. Such meetings have brought about warm and touching feelings between teachers and students after many years. In the near future, the Association will organize such trips to contribute to the Vietnam - Romania relationship continuing to be strong, entering a new and better phase, especially after the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister to Romania.

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