Over nearly 50 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, Vietnam–Kuwait ties have been continuously preserved and diligently nurtured by successive generations of leaders and peoples of both nations. Kuwait was the first Gulf country to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam and has consistently taken the lead in boosting comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam.

Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah’s visit to Vietnam in May 2007 marked a significant breakthrough in bilateral relations. It was also the first visit to Vietnam by a senior Gulf leader.

Determined to bolster cooperation between the two countries, Kuwait opened both an embassy and a consulate in Vietnam within just three months after the visit. On the Vietnamese side, during his visit to Kuwait in March 2009, former Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that Vietnam always values the development of cooperative and friendly relations with Gulf countries, with Kuwait emerging as an important partner for Vietnam in the Middle East.

Building on previous successes, Kuwaiti PM Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah’s visit to Vietnam in May 2016 brought bilateral cooperation into a new phase of development. The two sides signed several cooperation documents, including a cultural and artistic cooperation agreement, a memorandum of understanding on sports cooperation, and an agreement to continue cooperation within the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical complex between Vietnam Oil and Gas Group and Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI).

Economic cooperation between the two countries has also seen notable progress. Bilateral trade in 2024 reached approximately US$7.3 billion, mainly driven by crude oil imports. Vietnam exports products to Kuwait such as seafood, fruit and vegetables, cashew nuts, pepper, wood, and spare parts and components.

In the investment sector, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), together with Japan, is participating in the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical complex project with a total investment of US$9 billion and a long-term commitment to supply crude oil to the plant. The project, which began operations at the end of 2018, is one of the largest foreign investment ventures in Vietnam, annually supplying about 5-7 million tons of petrol and oil to the domestic market. It contributes actively to ensuring Vietnam’s energy security and provides raw materials for numerous domestic manufacturing industries.

In development cooperation, Kuwait is the first Gulf country to consistently provide concessional ODA for infrastructure projects in Vietnam’s remote and mountainous areas. To date, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has provided ODA funding for 15 projects in localities across Vietnam, totaling more than US$190 million.

The Kuwaiti government also provided US$3,225,000 in non-refundable aid to central Vietnamese provinces to address damages from natural disasters in 2013 and 2017. Kuwait was also among 192 countries that supported Vietnam’s election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 term.

In 2020, amid unprecedented difficulties and challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the friendship between Vietnam and Kuwait was once again clearly demonstrated. Vietnam donated medical masks to Kuwait, contributing modestly to the Kuwaiti people’s pandemic response. Kuwait provided Vietnam with 600,000 vaccine doses in October 2021. The support offered by the governments and people of both countries during these difficult times vividly demonstrated the spirit of the Arab proverb: “Human love is the most precious asset.”

With a long-standing tradition of cooperative and friendly relations tested over time, the determination of leaders and people of both countries, and abundant resources that can complement each other, Vietnam-Kuwait ties will continue to see positive development for the benefit of the two nations, as well as for peace and stability in the region and the world.

PM’s visit to Kuwait to open new development phase for bilateral ties: Ambassador

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Kuwait from November 16-18, made at the invitation of his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al Sabah, will help open a new stage of development in bilateral relations, according to Vietnamese Ambassador to the Middle East country Nguyen Duc Thang.

Vietnam, Kuwait affirm determination to elevate bilateral ties to new heights

VOV.VN - Both nations have agreed to step up cooperation in energy, trade, investment, and tourism during their fifth political consultation in Kuwait, while reaffirming their determination to take bilateral ties to new heights.