Addressing the function, Consul General Mochamad Alimudin Arifin Pohan noted with satisfaction the current growth of friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Indonesia, which was started and nurtured by late presidents Sukarno and Ho Chi Minh. He said the opening of a direct air route between HCM City and Jakarta, scheduled for September 2009, will help Indonesian and Vietnamese tourists learn more about each other’s culture.

Bilateral relations have developed rapidly since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1955. Last year’s two-way trade reached more than US$2.5 billion, up 2.7 percent against 2007. Indonesia imports mostly rice, coffee, tea and rubber from Vietnam. So far it has poured US$180 million into 22 investment projects in Vietnam.