"Vietnam is a model of development and leadership vision"

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the successful August Revolution (August 19, 1945 - August 19, 2025) and National Day (September 2, 1945 - September 2, 2025), VNA reporter in Tel Aviv interviewed Mr. Eyal Buvilski, Chairman of the Israel-Vietnam Friendship Association, former Deputy Ambassador of Israel to Vietnam.

Mr. Eyal Buvilski, Chairman of the Israel - Vietnam Friendship Association. (Photo: Duc Trung/VNA)

With deep affection for Vietnam, Mr. Buvilski shared positive assessments of the country and people of Vietnam, the innovation process, the role of leaders, as well as the potential for bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Mr. Eyal Buvilski began the conversation with his personal sentiments: “I have known Vietnam since 2001, when I began my diplomatic term in Hanoi. Since then, Vietnam has been a part of my heart. From the very first days, I have always tried to find ways to connect with this land.”

From that deep affection, Mr. Buvilski said that all his assessments of Vietnam come from understanding, attachment and respect for the culture and people here.

From the perspective of someone who has witnessed Vietnam change for more than 20 years, Mr. Buvilski emphasized: “My family and I left Vietnam in 2003, but have had the opportunity to return many times, most recently just a few months ago. Each time I returned, I saw a completely different country - something I had never seen anywhere else in the world , including the places where I used to work.”

According to him, Vietnam's rapid and sustainable development is the result of a harmonious combination of two key factors: people and natural resources.

He expressed his impression: “Vietnamese people are very hard-working, full of desire for success and have strong national pride. Even at 5-6am, I see people out on the streets exercising, working and living - something that is rare in other places.”

He also expressed his impression of how Vietnam skillfully exploits its natural potential: “Vietnam has a great climate, fertile land - very suitable for agriculture and many other fields. Infrastructure such as roads, seaports, airports - everything is available. This combination, along with vision and wise leadership, is the foundation for the current development. I think Vietnam is now one of the world's leading manufacturing centers. Everything is produced here. In Israel, every time I go into any store, I am very proud to see goods from Vietnam - from coffee, tea, to shoes - almost everything has the label "Made in Vietnam".

Sharing his impression of the Vietnamese leadership team, Mr. Buvilski emphasized: "The big difference between Vietnam and many other countries is in vision and leadership capacity."

He appreciated the continuity and synchronization in the political system, as well as the commitment to implementing long-term plans set forth by the leaders.

He recalled: “When I first came to Vietnam, I heard about 5-year and 20-year plans… At first, I thought it was just empty talk like in many other countries. But then I realized - after 5 years, there were indeed results. After 20 years, everything had completely changed. That shows that Vietnam not only has a vision, but also the ability to realize dreams. What is special about Vietnam is continuity. A leader sets a goal, and his successor will continue to realize it. This is rare.”

According to him, close connection between leaders at all levels, from central to local, is the key to creating efficiency in national management and development.

Looking back at 32 years of establishing diplomatic relations (1993-2025), Mr. Buvilski affirmed that Vietnam-Israel relations have been developing on the foundation of deep friendship between the two peoples.

He said that the economy is a key field with many opportunities for extensive cooperation: from agriculture, technology to large-scale production.

He said every small idea in Israel can become a big product if combined with a Vietnamese partner: "Israel has a lot of technology, knowledge and scientific research. Meanwhile, Vietnam has great potential - Vietnam knows how to produce and do things that Israel cannot, such as expanding the scale of production. I can have a good idea in Israel, but if combined with a Vietnamese partner, we can turn it into a large-scale product. Therefore, I believe there is a huge foundation for further economic cooperation."

According to Mr. Buvilski, cooperation between research institutes, between the government, between Israeli private enterprises and Vietnamese partners - all are very important: "I also believe that the Vietnamese Government can learn a lot from the experiences of Israeli companies operating around the world. Vietnam has not yet exploited its full economic potential. There are many places where Vietnam can export products. I think if we combine the knowledge from Israel with the capabilities, vision and capacity of the Vietnamese economic sector, we can go much further. And we are always ready to support that".

Regarding the prospects for economic cooperation between the two countries in the coming time, Mr. Buvilski stated: "Currently, Israel is in a state of war - the area where we are in conflict, the situation is quite dangerous. Therefore, we can see less economic activities from Vietnam in Israel now - or rather less than we would like. But the war will end - hopefully soon - and when it does, there will be many economic opportunities for Vietnamese companies in Israel in agriculture, construction, manufacturing...".

According to him, "through economic cooperation, we can contribute to bringing peace to the region - for example through joint ventures between the two sides. I believe that Vietnam's potential here - the potential in bilateral relations between Vietnam and Israel - especially in economic and political terms - is just beginning. I really look forward to seeing progress in this area in the future".

He also shared that tourism and people-to-people exchange are important bridges in bilateral relations, especially as more and more Israelis choose Vietnam as their favorite destination.

He affirmed: "I can say that Israelis love Vietnam very much. They always want to travel to Vietnam when they have the opportunity. Every tourist returning from Vietnam is a new 'ambassador' of Vietnam in Israel. This is a huge potential."

At the end of the interview, Mr. Eyal Buvilski sent his congratulations to the Vietnamese people on the occasion of National Day, September 2: “On behalf of the Israel-Vietnam Friendship Association, I would like to send a message to the Vietnamese people that you have true friends in Israel. The Israeli people love Vietnam and will always welcome you.”

“We look forward to welcoming more businessmen, scholars, and tourists from Vietnam to Israel – to understand each other better, cooperate more deeply, and build a better future together,” he said.

According to Vietnamplus.vn

https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-la-hinh-mau-ve-phat-trien-va-tam-nhin-lanh-dao-post1053067.vnp

Source: https://thoidai.com.vn/viet-nam-la-hinh-mau-ve-phat-trien-va-tam-nhin-lanh-dao-215240.html