Ample room for Vietnam-Philippines strategic partnership: seminar

The seminar, themed “Vietnam-Philippines strategic partnership: achievements and prospects,” was jointly held by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi to mark the fifth anniversary of the strategic partnership and the 45th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Dr. Nguyen Hung Son, DAV Deputy Director, said Vietnam and the Philippines are expected to tighten their cooperation at multilateral forums, and work together with other ASEAN member countries to promote the intra-bloc solidarity as well as the grouping’s centrality in regional security and strategic matters, and the maintenance of a rules-based order, especially in the East Sea.

Paul Vincent L.Uy, Charge d'Affaires from the Philippine Embassy in Vietnam, highlighted the fine political ties between the two countries at all levels.

The two nations share similarities in geography, population, culture and development level, and complement each other in production and trade, he said, noting that the Philippines’ exports to Vietnam hit US$1.27 billion and the import value was US$3.64 billion.

The Philippines can learn a lot from Vietnam, especially the country’s experience in COVID-19 response, the official went on.  

Over the past five years, the two countries have also carried out an array of activities in culture and education, he said.

Ambassador Nguyen Thac Dinh, General Secretary of the Vietnam-Philippines Friendship Association, believed that the bilateral strategic partnership will grow further in all channels, especially people-to-people exchange